The Pronunciation of X: X X X X or X?

By now you’ve probably come across the letter X in words and how confusing its pronunciation can be.

In Australian English, there’re quite a few ways to pronounce the letter X.

Have a listen to the following words and see if you can hear the difference in the pronunciation of the letter X in each of these word:

• Xavier – /ˈzæɪˌvɪɐ/
• Mixed – /mɪkst/
• Exam – /ɪgˈzæm/
• Sexual – /ˈsekˌsjʉəl/
• Luxury – /ˈlɐgˌʒəri/

Did you notice how in each example X was pronounced differently?

Let’s go through them one more time.

You should have heard a:

• /z/ in ‘Xavier’ – /ˈzæɪˌvɪɐ/
• /ks/ in ‘Mixed’ – /mɪkst/
• /gz/ in ‘Exam’ – /ɪgˈzæm/
• /kʃ/ in ‘Sexual’ – /ˈsekˌsjʉəl/
• /gʒ/ in ‘Luxury’ – /ˈlɐgˌʒəri/

Those are the 5 pronunciations of the letter X in Australian English.

Fortunately, some are much more common than others.

What are the rules?

Let’s go over some basic patterns of spelling and pronunciation:

1. /z/

If X is at the front of a word it’s pronounced as /z/

Note – these are usually very rare words often related to scientific subjects.

For example:

• Xerox – /ˈzɪəˌɹɔks/
• Xylophone – /ˈzɑeləˌfəʉn/
• Xenophobe – /ˈzenəˌfəʉb/

2. /ks/

If X is within a word and after a vowel, it’s usually pronounced as /ks/.

For example:

• Mixed – /mɪkst/
• Texas – /ˈteksəs/
• Relaxing – /ɹɪˈlæksɪŋ/

If X is followed by C representing the /s/ sound, it’s usually pronounced as /ks/.

For example:

• Except – /ɪkˈsept/
• Excite – /ɪkˈsɑet/
• Excision – /ekˈsɪʒən/

If X is at the ends of words, it’s usually pronounced as /ks/.

For example:

• Max – /mæks/
• Six – /sɪks/
• Coax – /kəʉks/

If X followed by consonant, it’s usually pronounced as /ks/.

For example:

• Expression – /ɪksˈpɹeʃən/
• Expert – /ˈekspɜːt/
• Axle – /ˈæksəl/

3. /gz/

If X is at the front of a word starting with EX when followed by a vowel sound, it’s usually pronounced as /gz/.

For example:

• Exam – /ɪgˈzæm/
• Exist – /ɪgˈzɪst/
• Exhaust – /ɪgˈzoːst/

4. /kʃ/

If X is within a word and followed by the letter U, it’s usually pronounced as /kʃ/.

For example:

• Sexual – /ˈsekˌʃʉəl/
• Flexure – /ˈflekˌʃɐ/
• Sexually – /ˈsekˌʃʉəli/

If X is followed by CH, it can be pronounced as /kʃ/ as well.

For example:

• Exchange – /ɪkʃˈʧæɪnʤ/
• Exchanges – /ɪkʃˈʧæɪnʤəz/
• Exchanging – /ɪkʃˈʧæɪnʤɪŋ/

5. /gʒ/

Only in the word ‘luxury’ and its other forms, i.e. ‘luxurious’, is the letter X pronounced as /gʒ/.

For example:

• Luxury – /ˈlɐgˌʒəɹi/
• Luxurious – /lɐgˈʒjʉəɹɪəs/
• Luxuriant – /lɐgˈʒjʉəɹɪənt/

Drilling exercises!

The topics below include drilling exercises for each of the pronunciation points you just learnt.

If you want to “drill down” and practice any or all of these pronunciation points, you can do so with these video exercises in order to solidify your pronunciation of these sounds.

If you can already pronounce these sounds with confidence, skip ahead to the next lesson.

But if you still have a little trouble either remembering the rules or making the sounds themselves, complete these exercises on a regular basis until you’ve nailed the pronunciation.

Tip: shorter and more frequent drilling sessions (e.g. 5 minutes per day) are more effective than longer infrequent sessions (e.g. 1 hour per week).