X

X, 24th letter in the English alphabet. The form, phonetic value, and name of the letter are taken from Latin, via the Greek, and ultimately from an Egyptian hieroglyph.

The normal x sound in English, occurring in the name of the character itself, is a composite consonant sound, as in fixture and excellent. Between two vowels, the first of which is unaccented, the x sound is usually voiced, as in exalt and exhilarate. An initial x, generally occurring in words of Greek origin, has a z sound, as in Xerxes and xylophone. Examples of other x sounds occurring in English may be represented by the words anxious and luxurious.