X

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For the multiplication sign, see . For other uses, please see X (disambiguation).
X
ISO basic
Latin alphabet
Aa
Bb
Cc
Dd
Ee
Ff
Gg
Hh
Ii
Jj
Kk
Ll
Mm
Nn
Oo
Pp
Qq
Rr
Ss
Tt
Uu
Vv
Ww
Xx
Yy
Zz
v t e
X cursiva.gif
X (named ex /'?ks/, plural exes[1]) is the twenty-fourth letter in the ISO basic
Latin alphabet. In Roman numerals, it represents 10.
Contents [hide]
1 History
2 Use in English
3 Use in other languages
3.1 Usage in Southeast Asia and China
4 Metalinguistic usage
5 Non-mathematical usage
6 Computing codes
7 Related letters and other similar characters
8 Other representations
9 See also
10 References
11 External links
History[edit]
In Ancient Greek, '?' and '?' were among several variants of the same letter, us
ed originally for /k?/ and later, in western areas such as Arcadia, as a simplif
ication of the digraph '??' for /ks/. In the end, more conservative eastern form
s became the standard of Classical Greek, and thus '?' (Chi) stands for /k?/ (la
ter /x/). However, the Etruscans had taken over '?' from western Greek, and it t
herefore stands for /ks/ in Etruscan and Latin.[citation needed]
The letter '?' ~ '?' for /k?/ was a Greek addition to the alphabet, placed after
the Semitic letters along with phi '?' for /p?/. (The variant '?' later replace
d the digraph '??' for /ps/; omega was a later addition).[citation needed].
Greek Chi
Etruscan
:X
Chi uc lc.svg EtruscanX-01.svg
Use in English[edit]
In English orthography, x is typically pronounced as the voiceless consonant clu
ster /ks/ when it follows the stressed vowel (e.g. ox), and the voiced consonant
/gz/ when it precedes the stressed vowel (e.g. exam). It is pronounced /gz/ whe
n it also precedes a silent h and an accented vowel (e.g. exhaust).[2] Before i
or u, it can be pronounced /k?/ or /g?/ (e.g. sexual and luxury); these result f
rom earlier /ksj/ and /gzj/. It also makes the sound /k?/ in words ending in -xi
on (typically used only in British-based spellings of the language; American spe
llings tend to use -ction). When x ends a word, it is always /ks/ (e.g. ax), exc
ept in loan words such as faux (see French, below).
There are very few English words that start with x (the least amount of any lett
er). When x does start a word, it is usually pronounced /z/ (e.g. xylophone, xen
ophobia, and xanthan); in rare recent loanwords or foreign proper names, it can

also be pronounced /s/ (e.g. the obsolete Vietnamese monetary unit xu) or /?/ (e
.g. Chinese names starting with Xi like Xiaomi or Xinjiang). Many of the words t
hat start with x are either standardized trademarks (Xerox) or acronyms (XC). In
abbreviations, it can represent "trans-" (e.g. XMIT for transmit, XFER for tran
sfer), "cross-" (e.g. X-ing for crossing, XREF for cross-reference), "Christ-" a
s shorthand for the labarum (e.g. Xmas for Christmas, Xian for Christian), the "
crys-" in crystal (XTAL), or various words starting with "ex-" (e.g. XL for extr
a large, XOR for exclusive-or). It does not begin any words in Basic English (bu
t it occurs in words beginning with other letters).
It is the third least common letter in English (after Q and Z), with a frequency
of about 0.15% in words.[3]
Use in other languages[edit]
In the International Phonetic Alphabet, [x] represents a voiceless velar fricati
ve.
In Latin, 'x' stood for [ks]. In some languages, as a result of assorted phoneti
c changes, handwriting adaptations or simply spelling convention, 'x' has other
pronunciations:
Basque: as a spelling for [?]. Additionally there is the digraph 'tx' [t?].
Dutch: X usually represents [ks], except in the name of the island of Texel, whi
ch is pronounced Tessel. This is because of historical sound-changes in Dutch, w
here all -x- sounds have been replaced with -s- sounds. Words with an -x- in the
Dutch language are nowadays usually loanwords.
In Norwegian, 'x' is generally pronounced [ks], but since the 19th century, ther
e has been a tendency to spell it out as 'ks'; it may still be retained in perso
nal names, though it is fairly rare, and occurs mostly in foreign words and SMS
language. Usage in Danish, German and Finnish is similar.
French: at the ends of words, silent (or [z] in liaison if the next word starts
with a vowel). Three exceptions are pronounced [s]: six ("six"), dix ("ten") and
in some city names such as Bruxelles (although some people still pronounce it '
ks') or Auxerre. It is pronounced [z] in sixieme and dixieme.
In Italian, 'x' is either pronounced [ks], as in extra, uxorio, xilofono,[4] or
[gz], as exogamia, when it is preceded by 'e' and followed by a vowel. In severa
l related languages, notably Venetian, it represents the voiced sibilant [z]. It
is also used, mainly amongst the young people, as a short written form for "per
", meaning "for": for example, "x sempre" ("forever"). This because in Italian t
he multiplication sign (similar to 'x') is called "per". However, 'x' is only fo
und in loanwords, as it is not part of the standard Italian alphabet; in most wo
rds with 'x', this letter may be replaced with 's' or 'ss' (with different pronu
nciation: xilofono/silofono, taxi/tassi) or, rarely, by 'cs' (with the same pron
unciation: claxon/clacson).
Spanish: In Old Spanish, 'x' was pronounced [?], as it is still currently in oth
er Iberian Romance languages. Later, the sound evolved to a hard [x] sound. In m
odern Spanish, the [x] sound is generally spelled as the letters 'j' or 'g', tho
ugh 'x' is still retained for some names (notably 'Mxico', which alternates with
'Mjico'). Presently, 'x' represents the sound [s] (word-initially), or the conson
ant cluster [ks] (e.g. oxgeno, examen). Rarely, the 'x' can be pronounced [?] as
in Old Spanish in some proper nouns such as 'Raxel' (a variant of Rachel) and Ux
mal.
In Galician (a language related to Portuguese and spoken in Northwestern Spain),
and Leonese, used in Spain, 'x' is pronounced [?] in most cases. In learned wor
ds, such as 'taxativo' (taxing), the 'x' is pronounced [ks]. However, Galician s
peakers tend to pronounce it [s], especially when it appears before plosives, su
ch as in 'externo' (external).
In Catalan, 'x' has three sounds; the most common is [?]; as in 'xarop' (syrup).
Other sounds are: [ks]; 'fixar' (to fix), [gz]; 'examen'. In addition [?] gets
voiced to [?] before voiced consonants; 'caixmir'. Catalan also has the digraph

'tx', pronounced [t?].

In Portuguese, 'x' has four main sounds; the most common is [?], as in 'xcara' (c
up). The other sounds are: [ks] as in 'fenix/fnix' (phoenix); [s], when preceded
by E and followed by a consonant, as in 'contexto' ([?] in European Portuguese),
and in a small number of other words, such as 'prximo' (close/next); and (the ra
rest) [z], which occurs in the prefix 'ex' before a vowel, as in 'exagerado' (ex
aggerated). A rare fifth sound is [gz], coexisting with [z] and [ks] as acceptab
le pronunciations in exantema and in words with the Greek prefix 'hexa'.
In Venetian it represents the voiced alveolar sibilant [z] much like in Portugue
se 'exagerado', English 'xylophone' or in the French 'sixieme'. Examples from me
dieval texts include raxon (reason), prexon (prison), dexerto (desert), chaxa/ca
xa (home). Nowadays, the best-known word is xe (is/are). The most notable except
ion to this rule is the name Venexia [ve'n?sja] in which 'x' has evolved from th
e initial voiced sibilant [z] to the present day voiceless sibilant.
In Albanian, 'x' represents [dz], while the digraph 'xh' represents [d?].
In Maltese, 'x' is pronounced [?] or, in some cases, [?] (only in loanwords such
as 'televixin', and not for all speakers).
Additionally, in languages for which the Latin alphabet has been adapted only re
cently, 'x' has been used for various sounds, in some cases inspired by European
usage, but in others, for consonants uncommon in Europe. For these no Latin let
ter stands out as an obvious choice, and since most of the various European pron
unciations of 'x' can be written by other means, the letter becomes available fo
r more unusual sounds.
X represents [x] in e.g. Azerbaijani, Kurdish, Lojban, Tatar, Uzbek, Pashto and
Uyghur (Latin script).
Esperanto: The x-convention replaces c, g, h, j, s, and u with x-suffixes: cx, g
x, hx, jx, sx, and ux.
In Indian languages, 'x' represents the consonant cluster [k?] in alternate spel
lings of words containing '???' (k?), especially names such as Laxmi and Dixit.
Less frequently, 'x' is used to represent '??' [x].
In Nahuatl, 'x' represents [?].
Nguni languages: 'x' represents the alveolar lateral click [?].
In Piraha, 'x' symbolizes the glottal stop [?].
An illustrating example of 'x' as a "leftover" letter is differing usage in thre
e different Cushitic languages:
Afar: voiced alveolar implosive [?]
Oromo: alveolar ejective [t']
Somali: voiceless pharyngeal fricative [h]
Usage in Southeast Asia and China[edit]
In Lao, based on romanization of Lao consonants, 'x' may represent [?], e.g. in
Lan Xang.
In Vietnamese, 'x' is pronounced like English s (at the beginning of a word, e.g
. "sing"). This sound was [?] in Middle Vietnamese, resembling the Portuguese so
und /?/, spelled 'x'.
In Hanyu Pinyin, Standard Chinese's official transcription system in China, Mala
ysia, Singapore, and Taiwan, the letter 'x' represents the voiceless alveolo-pal
atal fricative /?/, for instance in 'Xi', [?i]. This sound somewhat resembles [?
].
Metalinguistic usage[edit]
In mathematics, 'x' is commonly used as the name for an independent variable or
unknown value. The modern tradition of using 'x' to represent an unknown was sta
rted by Ren Descartes in La Gomtrie (1637).[5]
It may also be used to signify the multiplication operation when a more appropri
ate glyph is unavailable. In mathematical typesetting, 'x' meaning an algebraic
variable is normally in italic type (x\!), partly to avoid confusion with the mu
ltiplication symbol. In fonts containing both 'x' (the letter) and '' (the multip
lication sign), the two glyphs are dissimilar.

Non-mathematical usage[edit]
Abbreviation for 'between' in the context of historical dating; e.g., '1483 x 14
85.'
As a result of its use in algebra, X is often used to represent unknowns in othe
r circumstances (e.g. Person X, Place X, etc.; see also Malcolm X).
In the Cartesian coordinate system x is used to refer to the horizontal axis.
X-rays are so called because their discoverer did not know what they were.
X has been used as a namesake for a generation of humans: Generation X, commonly
abbreviated to Gen X. It is the generation born after the baby boom ended, rang
ing from 1961 to 1981.
An X-shaped mark has traditionally been used by the illiterate in lieu of a sign
ature, and is also used to indicate a signature line on forms.
X marks are used to indicate the concept of negation or incorrect, the opposite
of a Tick (check mark). They are also used as a substitute for the check mark (m
ost notably on election Ballot papers)
X is commonly used as a generic mark (selecting an item on a form, indicating a
location on a map, etc.).
The common custom of placing Xs on envelopes, notes and at the bottom of letters
to mean kisses dates back to the Middle Ages, when a Christian cross was drawn
on documents or letters to mean sincerity, faith, and honesty.
Usually in art or fashion, the use of X indicates a collaboration with two or mo
re artists.[clarification needed] The application extends to any other kinds of
collaboration outside the art world. Originally started in Japan.
In cartoons, a dead character's eyes are often drawn as Xs.
In mapping by the standards of the USGS, an x-type mark is used to denote the po
int referred to by an elevation marking on topographical maps.
Maps leading to hidden treasure often denote the treasure with an X. The express
ion "X marks the spot" is related to these treasure maps.
X, and its Greek counterpart Chi, play roles in the Kingdom Hearts series. X is
used in the names of the members of Organization XIII to change it around into a
n anagram. For example, Ansem with a X turns into Xemnas and Sora turns into Rox
as, whereas Chi is used in the name of the ultimate weapon, the X-Blade, pronoun
ced Chi-Blade. The series primary antagonist, Xehanort, whose name is also an an
agram for No Heart or Another, even provides a quick explanation in the prequel
Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep.
The Man from Planet X, 1951 American science-fiction movie.
X: The Unknown, 1956 British science-fiction movie.
X: The Man with the X-ray Eyes, 1963 American science-fiction movie.
Malcolm X, 1992 American biopic of Malcolm X.
The X-Files, 1993-2002 American science-fiction television series.
"X", 2015 mystery novel by Sue Grafton
Computing codes[edit]
Character
X
x
Unicode name
latin capital letter x
latin small letter x
Encodings
decimal hex
decimal hex
Unicode 88
U+0058 120
U+0078
UTF-8 88
58
120
78
Numeric character reference
X X x x
EBCDIC family 231
E7
167
A7
ASCII 1 88
58
120
78
1 Also for encodings based on ASCII, including the DOS, Windows, ISO-8859 and Ma
cintosh families of encodings.
In the C programming language, 'x' preceded by zero (0x or 0X) is used to denote
hexadecimal literal values.
Related letters and other similar characters[edit]
? ? : Greek letter Chi
? ? : Greek letter Xi
? : Hebrew letter Aleph
? ? : Cyrillic letter Kha

? : Gyfu, a letter in the Anglo-Saxon futhorc runic alphabet used in pre-Norman

Britain.
? : a Chinese character, pronounced [i] (high falling tone), "yi" in pinyin
? : a letter representing [u] or [w] in Mandarin Phonetic Symbols
? : Me, a Japanese katakana character
: Multiplication sign
? : a symbol used in Japan for resale price maintenance
Other representations[edit]
NATO phonetic Morse code
X-ray

ICS X-ray.svg Semaphore X-ray.svg

?
Signal flag
Flag semaphore Braille
dots-1346
See also[edit]
XX
XXX
XXXX
X mark
Commonly used as a prefix term in nouns about the X Window System and Unix
References[edit]
Jump up ^ "X", Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition (1989); Merriam-Webster's
Third New International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged (1993); "
ex", op. cit.
Jump up ^ Venezky, Richard (1 January 1970). The Structure of English Orthograph
y. Walter de Gruyter. p. 40. ISBN 978-3-11-080447-8.
Jump up ^ Mika, Pavel. "Letter frequency (English)". Algoritmy.net. Retrieved 9 F
ebruary 2014.
Jump up ^ "Dizionario di ortografia e pronunzia" [Dictionary of Spelling and pre
liminary]. Dizionario di ortografia e pronunzia (in Italian). Retrieved 9 Februa
ry 2014.
Jump up ^ Cajori, Florian (1993). A History of Mathematical Notations. Google Bo
oks (Dover Publications).
External links[edit]
Media related to X at Wikimedia Commons
The dictionary definition of X at Wiktionary
The dictionary definition of x at Wiktionary
Wikisource-logo.svg "X". The American Cyclopadia. 1879.