How Many Type Combinations Exist in Pokémon?
Quick Answer
There are 171 possible type combinations in Pokémon: 18 single types and 153 dual types. Learn which ones are unused and which are the strongest.
Every Pokémon team builder needs to understand the type combination landscape. Here’s the complete math behind Pokémon type combinations and what it means for team building.
The Math: Total Possible Combinations
- Single types: 18 (one for each type)
- Dual-type combinations: 153 (18 choose 2 = 18 × 17 ÷ 2)
- Total possible: 171 unique type combinations
Order doesn’t matter for dual types — Water/Fire is the same as Fire/Water.
Type Combinations by Weakness Count
| Weaknesses | Number of Dual Types | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | None |
| 1 | 5 | Bug/Steel, Normal/Ghost |
| 2 | 21 | Steel/Fairy, Grass/Steel |
| 3 | 33 | Normal/Steel, Electric/Steel |
| 4 | 44 | Ghost/Steel, Ground/Steel |
| 5 | 28 | Fire/Ghost, Ghost/Dragon |
| 6 | 16 | Grass/Fighting, Ground/Rock |
| 7 | 6 | Grass/Dark, Rock/Dark |
Dual Types with No Weaknesses
Currently, no dual-type combination has zero weaknesses against all 18 types. The closest are combinations with just 1 weakness.
Single Weakness Combinations
- Bug / Steel — only weak to select types
- Normal / Ghost — only weak to select types
- Water / Ground — only weak to select types
- Poison / Dark — only weak to select types
- Ghost / Dark — only weak to select types
These are prime defensive picks for team building.
Why Type Combinations Matter for Teams
In the Team Builder, your team’s combined types determine:
- Total coverage — which of the 171 combinations can your team hit super-effectively
- Shared weaknesses — how many team members fall to the same attack type
- Switch-in options — whether you always have a safe resistance to pivot into
With 153 possible dual-type pairings, there’s immense variety. The Team Builder helps you find combinations that complement each other perfectly.
For more on choosing the right types, see our type coverage guide and best types for teams.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How many type combinations are there in Pokémon?
- There are 171 possible type combinations: 18 single types and 153 dual-type combinations (18 choose 2 = 153).
- Are all type combinations used by real Pokémon?
- No. Several dual-type combinations remain unused, including Normal/Ice, Normal/Bug, and others. Each generation introduces new combinations previously unseen.
- How do you calculate dual type combinations?
- The formula is n*(n-1)/2 where n=18 types. That gives 18×17/2 = 153 unique dual-type pairings. Order does not matter (Water/Fire = Fire/Water).
- What type combination has no weaknesses?
- No dual-type combination has zero weaknesses, but 5 combinations have only 1 weakness.
- Can a Pokémon have three types?
- No. In the main series games, Pokémon can only have one or two types. However, the move Forest Curse and Trick-or-Treat can temporarily add a third type in battle.
- What is the rarest type combination?
- Several type combinations exist on only one Pokémon, making them extremely rare. Unused combinations are even rarer — they have no Pokémon at all.