About the Letter x
►The letter x is pronounced more than one way by all speakers. In some cases, the Spanish reading of x is like its English counterpart. In other cases, it is not.
Pronunciation of X
Between vowels, x is pronounced [gs]; English [gz] (exam) should be avoided.
Before a consonant, it is pronounced [ks].*
The x in México, mexicano is pronounced with thejota sound.
* Some speakers pronounce x as s in this context. On the recording, the more common [ks] is used.
Práctica
Click the ► symbol. Following along with the script below, repeat both the English and Spanish samples.
English
Spanish
English [gz], Spanish [gs]
exam
examen
exaggerate
exagerar
exact
exacto
English [ks], Spanish [ks]
exclaim
exclamar
express
expresar
extreme
extremo
(mixed)
¡Qué experiencia más extraña! No exagero. La próxima vez te la explico.