Type matchups are the most important thing to learn in Pokémon. Every Pokémon and every move has a type, and hitting a weakness deals double damage while hitting a resistance deals half. This guide explains the type chart in plain English, with a quick-reference table and easy ways to remember it.
Table of Contents
How type effectiveness works
| Result | Damage | In-game message |
|---|---|---|
| Super effective | ×2 | “It’s super effective!” |
| Neutral | ×1 | — |
| Not very effective | ×0.5 | “It’s not very effective…” |
| No effect (immune) | ×0 | “It doesn’t affect…” |
Dual types multiply. A move that’s super effective against both of a Pokémon’s types does ×4 damage (for example, Ice against a Grass/Flying Pokémon). If one type is weak and the other resists, they cancel out to ×1.
STAB bonus: when a Pokémon uses a move of its own type, it gets a Same-Type Attack Bonus of ×1.5.
The 18 types: strengths and weaknesses
| Attacking type | Super effective against | Weak against (resisted by) | No effect on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Normal | — | Rock, Steel | Ghost |
| Fire | Grass, Ice, Bug, Steel | Fire, Water, Rock, Dragon | — |
| Water | Fire, Ground, Rock | Water, Grass, Dragon | — |
| Electric | Water, Flying | Electric, Grass, Dragon | Ground |
| Grass | Water, Ground, Rock | Fire, Grass, Poison, Flying, Bug, Dragon, Steel | — |
| Ice | Grass, Ground, Flying, Dragon | Fire, Water, Ice, Steel | — |
| Fighting | Normal, Ice, Rock, Dark, Steel | Poison, Flying, Psychic, Bug, Fairy | Ghost |
| Poison | Grass, Fairy | Poison, Ground, Rock, Ghost | Steel |
| Ground | Fire, Electric, Poison, Rock, Steel | Grass, Bug | Flying |
| Flying | Grass, Fighting, Bug | Electric, Rock, Steel | — |
| Psychic | Fighting, Poison | Psychic, Steel | Dark |
| Bug | Grass, Psychic, Dark | Fire, Fighting, Poison, Flying, Ghost, Steel, Fairy | — |
| Rock | Fire, Ice, Flying, Bug | Fighting, Ground, Steel | — |
| Ghost | Psychic, Ghost | Dark | Normal |
| Dragon | Dragon | Steel | Fairy |
| Dark | Psychic, Ghost | Fighting, Dark, Fairy | — |
| Steel | Ice, Rock, Fairy | Fire, Water, Electric, Steel | — |
| Fairy | Fighting, Dragon, Dark | Fire, Poison, Steel | — |
Easy ways to remember the basics
- Fire, Water, Grass form a triangle: Water beats Fire, Fire beats Grass, Grass beats Water.
- Electric beats Water and Flying, but does nothing to Ground.
- Ground beats Electric, Fire and Rock, but can’t touch Flying.
- Ghost and Normal can’t hit each other.
- Dragon is only weak to Ice, Dragon and Fairy, and Fairy is immune to Dragon.
- Steel resists the most types, which makes it a great defensive type.
Tips for using the type chart
- Build a balanced team with different types so one opponent can’t sweep you.
- Teach coverage moves — a Water Pokémon with an Ice move handles Grass and Dragon threats.
- Check both types of a dual-type Pokémon before attacking.
- Use the in-game helper. Recent games show whether a move is effective against a Pokémon you’ve seen before.
FAQ
How many Pokémon types are there?
There are 18 types. Fairy was the most recent addition, in Pokémon X and Y.
What’s the best type in Pokémon?
There’s no single best type. Steel and Fairy have strong defensive matchups; Ground and Fire hit many types hard.
What does 4× weakness mean?
When both of a Pokémon’s types are weak to the same attack type, the damage multiplies to four times normal.
Put it into practice: best Scarlet and Violet team for beginners and how to Mega Evolve in Legends: Z-A.
Hi, I’m Emam Hasan — an English teacher and the founder of Anirban Lexicon Center in Mirpur, Dhaka. I run Takedownloads to share honest game guides, tips and app reviews that help players choose well and play better. Alongside teaching, I work in digital marketing and SEO, and I enjoy turning complex topics into simple, helpful lessons anyone can follow.
