Spanish Words That Start With X (and How to Pronounce X)
Very few Spanish words start with X. The ones you are likely to meet are xilófono (xylophone), xenofobia (xenophobia), xenófobo (xenophobic), xenón (xenon) and xilografía (woodcut), plus Mexican names such as Xochimilco and xoloitzcuintle, the Mexican hairless dog. Almost all of them are learned words built from Greek, or names from Nahuatl, Maya, Catalan and Galician. At the start of a word, X is normally said like an s: xilófono sounds like see-LOH-foh-noh.
The letter is called equis (EH-kees). Below: the everyday X words with example sentences, the science and technical ones, names and places, the four sounds X can have in Spanish (including why México is said with a J sound), why the letter is so rare, real spelling mistakes, a short dialogue and a quiz with answers.
Everyday Spanish words that start with X
These are the X words an ordinary Spanish speaker uses or hears often enough to know without a dictionary.
| Word | Gender | English | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| xilófono | el (m) | xylophone | Mi hija toca el xilófono en la banda del colegio. (My daughter plays the xylophone in the school band.) |
| xenofobia | la (f) | xenophobia | La campaña quiere combatir la xenofobia en el deporte. (The campaign aims to fight xenophobia in sport.) |
| xenófobo / xenófoba | adjective, noun | xenophobic; a xenophobe | Fueron unos comentarios xenófobos. (They were xenophobic comments.) |
| xenón | el (m) | xenon | Los faros de xenón dan una luz muy blanca. (Xenon headlights give a very white light.) |
| xilografía | la (f) | woodcut, wood engraving | En el museo hay xilografías japonesas. (There are Japanese woodcuts in the museum.) |
| xerocopia | la (f) | photocopy (formal, rare) | In daily life people say fotocopia. |
| xoloitzcuintle (also xoloitzcuintli, xolo) | el (m) | Mexican hairless dog | El xoloitzcuintle es un símbolo de México. (The xoloitzcuintle is a symbol of Mexico.) |
| xi | la (f) | xi, the Greek letter ξ | En la fórmula aparece la letra xi. |
Nouns follow the normal gender rules: el xilófono, los xilófonos; la xenofobia. Adjectives agree with their noun: una actitud xenófoba, unos discursos xenófobos.
Science and technical words
Most other X words come from four Greek roots, which makes them easy to decode once you know them:
| Root | Meaning | Words |
|---|---|---|
| xeno- | foreign, stranger | xenofobia, xenófobo, xenotrasplante (transplant from an animal to a human) |
| xilo- | wood | xilófono, xilografía, xilema (xylem, a plant’s water-carrying tissue), xilófago (wood-eating, said of insects) |
| xero- | dry | xerografía (xerography), xerófilo and xerófito (plants adapted to dry places), xeroftalmia (dryness of the eye, linked to lack of vitamin A), xerojardinería (xeriscaping) |
| xanto- | yellow | xantofila (a yellow pigment in leaves), xantoma (a yellowish skin deposit, a medical term) |
Example sentences:
- El xilema lleva el agua desde las raíces hasta las hojas. (The xylem carries water from the roots to the leaves.)
- Los cactus son plantas xerófilas. (Cacti are plants adapted to dry conditions.)
- En otoño, la clorofila desaparece y se ven las xantofilas. (In autumn the chlorophyll fades and the yellow pigments show.)
- La carcoma es un insecto xilófago. (The woodworm is a wood-eating insect.)
- El apéndice xifoides está en la parte baja del esternón. (The xiphoid process is at the lower end of the breastbone.)
You will meet these words in biology, chemistry and medicine textbooks, not in conversation. If you are building vocabulary for everyday Spanish, learn xilófono and xenofobia and move on.
Names and places that start with X
| Name | What it is | X sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Xochimilco | borough of Mexico City famous for its canals and boats | s: so-chee-MEEL-ko |
| Xalapa (also Jalapa) | capital of the Mexican state of Veracruz | j (Spanish h-sound): ha-LAH-pa |
| Xcaret | Maya site and park on the Riviera Maya, Mexico | sh: shka-RET |
| Ximena | girl’s name, a variant of Jimena | j: hee-MEH-na |
| Xavier | older spelling of Javier | varies; many speakers say it like Javier |
| Xunta de Galicia | the regional government of Galicia, Spain (Galician spelling) | sh: SHOON-ta |
| Xàtiva | town in Valencia, Spain (Valencian spelling; Spanish Játiva) | sh in Valencian |
In Galician, Catalan and Valencian, X is the normal spelling of the sh sound, which is why names from those regions keep it. In Mexico, Nahuatl and Maya names written with X are said with s, sh or a Spanish J sound depending on the word, so it is worth checking each one.
How to pronounce X in Spanish
| Position or word | Sound | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| At the start of a word | s (careful speech may say ks) | xilófono, xenofobia, xenón |
| Between vowels | ks | taxi, examen, éxito, exacto |
| Before a consonant | ks or s, depending on speaker and speed | extra, texto, explicar |
| Old spellings kept in names | Spanish J (a breathy h) | México, Oaxaca, Texas, Xavier |
| Indigenous, Galician and Catalan names | sh (sometimes s) | Xcaret, Xunta, Xochimilco (s) |
The Spanish sound is never the English z of xylophone (ZY-lo-fone). And México is MEH-hee-ko, not MEK-see-ko. The Real Academia Española says plainly that pronouncing the X in México as ks is a mistake.
Why so few Spanish words start with X
Medieval Spanish used X for the sh sound, and it had plenty of X words: dixo (he said), xabón (soap), Quixote. Over the 1500s and 1600s that sound shifted to the throaty J sound of modern Spanish. In the early 1800s the Real Academia Española changed the spelling to match, so dixo became dijo, xabón became jabón and Quixote became Quijote. Words that began with X moved to J.
That left X at the start of a word mainly for words borrowed later from Greek through science, and for names from other languages. Mexico kept the old spelling of its own name, and both México and Méjico are accepted, but the Academy recommends México, the spelling used in the country itself. If you want the many words that once started with X, look under J: Spanish words that start with J.
Common words with X inside
If you came here for words to practise the letter, the useful ones have X in the middle. They are worth more than all the technical words above:
- examen (exam), éxito (success, not “exit”), exacto (exactly), experiencia (experience)
- taxi, texto (text), sexto (sixth), próximo (next)
- extranjero (foreign, foreigner), explicar (to explain), excelente (excellent), exposición (exhibition)
- relax, tórax (thorax), clímax (end in X and keep the same form in the plural: los tórax, los clímax); fax is the exception, with the plural faxes
Éxito is a famous false friend: ¡La fiesta fue un éxito! means “The party was a success!” The exit sign says salida.
Spelling and sound mistakes to avoid
| Not this | But this | Why |
|---|---|---|
| xylófono, xilofono | xilófono | Spanish writes i for the Greek y, and the word needs an accent on the second o. |
| xenophobia | xenofobia | Greek ph is written f in Spanish. |
| xanthoma | xantoma | Greek th is written t in Spanish. |
| MEK-see-ko | MEH-hee-ko | The X in México is a J sound. |
| ZY-lo-fono | see-LOH-fo-no | Initial X is an s, never a z sound. |
| Fue un éxito for “it was the exit” | Era la salida. | Éxito means success. |
A short dialogue: playing “Basta”
In Basta (also called Stop or Tutti frutti in different countries), players pick a letter and race to write a word for each category. X is the letter everyone dreads.
Sofía: ¡Letra X! Animal…
Mateo: ¿Hay algún animal con X?
Sofía: ¡Sí! El xoloitzcuintle, el perro mexicano.
Mateo: Vale. Instrumento: xilófono. Eso es fácil.
Sofía: ¿Y ciudad?
Mateo: Xalapa, en Veracruz. Pero comida… no se me ocurre nada.
Sofía: A mí tampoco. ¡Basta!
Sofía: Letter X! Animal… Mateo: Is there any animal with X? Sofía: Yes! The xoloitzcuintle, the Mexican dog. Mateo: OK. Instrument: xylophone. That’s easy. Sofía: And city? Mateo: Xalapa, in Veracruz. But food… I can’t think of anything. Sofía: Me neither. Stop!
Quiz
- How do you say “xylophone” in Spanish, and is it masculine or feminine?
- What does xenofobia mean?
- How is the X in xilófono pronounced?
- How is the X in México pronounced?
- What does the root xero- mean?
- Complete: Fueron unas declaraciones ____ (xenophobic).
- What did the old word xabón become in modern Spanish?
- What does éxito mean?
Answers
- El xilófono, masculine.
- Xenophobia, fear or hatred of foreigners.
- Like an s: see-LOH-fo-no.
- Like a Spanish J: MEH-hee-ko.
- Dry.
- xenófobas (agrees with declaraciones, feminine plural).
- Jabón (soap).
- Success.
Quick answers
Are there any Spanish words that start with X?
Yes, but few. The common ones are xilófono, xenofobia, xenófobo, xenón and xilografía; the rest are mostly scientific terms and names.
What is the letter X called in Spanish?
Equis. The plural is the same: dos equis.
Is there a Spanish food that starts with X?
Not a common one. Regional Mexican dishes with Maya or Nahuatl names sometimes start with X, but most players of word games are stuck at X.
Why do Mexicans write México with an X?
It is the old spelling, kept by Mexico for its own name. The X is pronounced like a Spanish J.
Is X pronounced like “ks” in Spanish?
Between vowels, yes (taxi, examen). At the start of a word it is usually just s.
See the other letters in this series: Q, W (another letter used mostly in borrowed words) and F, or browse the Spanish vocabulary hub.
