Pokémon height and weight: reading the clues
Some crossword clues do not talk about types or evolutions but about measurements: “0.4 m tall and 6 kg, Electric type”. They look like the hardest clues, because nobody knows the weight of almost nine hundred Pokémon by heart. In fact, with a few reference points, they become some of the most useful.
How the measurements are written
Height is in metres and weight in kilograms: “1.5 m”, “40.5 kg”, “6 kg”. The clue with measurements nearly always adds the types and, when it really helps, the colour too. Measurements alone say little; together with the types they narrow things down a lot.
The trick is not to look for the exact number but for the proportion. A Pokémon two metres tall that weighs a few kilos is made of air, gas or leaves. A small one that is very heavy is made of rock or metal. The type usually confirms the impression.
Three reference points
Keep these three Pokémon in mind and you can compare any measurement:
- Pikachu: 0.4 m and 6 kg. The size of a pet.
- Snorlax: 2.1 m and 460 kg, the heaviest in Kanto.
- Onix: 8.8 m and 210 kg, the tallest in Kanto. As long as a bus, but lighter than Snorlax.
Onix is a good example of proportion: huge but fairly light, because it is a chain of boulders. Its evolution Steelix, Steel and Ground, reaches 9.2 m and weighs almost twice as much: 400 kg.
The tallest
If the clue talks about tens of metres, there are few options. The tallest in the crossword is Eternatus, from Galar, at 20 m. Next comes Wailord, from Hoenn, at 14.5 m: a Water type as long as a whale that weighs “only” 398 kg.
The heaviest
Two Pokémon from Alola hit the maximum, 999.9 kg: Cosmoem (Psychic) and Celesteela (Steel and Flying). Just below are Groudon and Eternatus, at 950 kg. If you read a weight close to a tonne, you are almost certainly among these four, and the type settles it.
The lightest and the smallest
At the other end are the 0.1 kg Pokémon. Among them are Gastly (1.3 m) and Haunter (1.6 m), made of gas: more than a metre tall with almost no weight is another proportion that says “Ghost”. Flabébé, from Kalos, and Cosmog, from Alola, also weigh 0.1 kg.
For height, the minimum is 0.1 m: for example Joltik (Bug and Electric), Flabébé (Fairy) and Cutiefly (Bug and Fairy). A clue with “0.1 m tall” takes you to one of them almost straight away.
How to use them in the grid
- Start from the type: it is the strongest filter. Measurements help you choose among the Pokémon of that type.
- Look for odd proportions: very tall and very light, or small and heavy. Those are the easiest to recognise.
- Use the crossing letters: if a measurement brings two names to mind, the length of the word and a letter already in place usually decide.
- Think about evolutions: within a line, sizes nearly always grow. If a clue looks like Charmander but is too big, try Charmeleon.
To practise, open today’s crossword and look for a clue with measurements: it is easier than it looks. For types, there is our beginner’s guide to Pokémon types.