21 Spanish Words That Start with X (with Audio)
The letter X is pretty rare in the Spanish language! It mostly appears in loanwords like examen (exam) and expresar (express).
While it’s generally used to represent the sound “ks,” you might also see it used to stand for a few other sounds. In some Spanish-speaking regions, particularly in Mexico, certain words or names originally spelled with “ch” are sometimes spelled with “x” as a shorthand. For example, “chicano” may be written as “xicano.”
In Nahuatl, an indigenous language of Mexico, “x” represents the sound [ʃ] (similar to the “sh” sound in English) or [ks] depending on the word.
But in Spanish, you won’t find too many word that begin with the letter X. I’ll cover as many as I can find below!
Contents
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Spanish Words That Start with X
| Spanish Word (with Audio) | English Word | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Xalapeño | Jalapeño | Type of hot pepper from Xalapa, Mexico. |
| Xantano | Xanthan | Polysaccharide used as a thickening agent. |
| Xántico | Xantic | Poetic, grandiloquent, or rhetorical language. |
| Xantofila | Xanthophyll | Yellow pigment found in plant cells. |
| Xantoma | Xanthoma | Yellowish growth on the skin. |
| Xantoquina | Xanthocyanin | Yellow pigment in certain flowers. |
| Xelhua | Xelhua | Ancient inhabitants of Cholula, Mexico. |
| Xenoestrógeno | Xenoestrogen | Synthetic chemical with estrogen-like effects. |
| Xenófilo | Xenophile | Person attracted to foreign cultures. |
| Xenofobia | Xenophobia | Fear or aversion towards foreigners. |
| Xerocopia | Photocopy | Copy made using a photocopier. |
| Xerofítico | Xerophytic | Describes plants adapted to arid environments. |
| Xeroform | Xeroform | Brand of medicated wound dressing. |
| Xeroftalmia | Xerophthalmia | Medical condition, dryness of the eyes. |
| Xerografía | Xerography | Photocopying process using electrostatic charges. |
| Xifoideo | Xiphoid | Sword-shaped or sword-like. |
| Xilofón | Xylophone | Musical instrument with wooden bars. |
| Xilografía | Xylography | Art of engraving images into woodblocks. |
| Xilopodio | Xylopodium | Woody basal stem or axis in some plants. |
| Ximenia | Ximenia | Genus of trees or shrubs. |
| Xipofago | Xylophagus | Organism that feeds on wood. |
Learn more about Spanish nouns, verbs and more in these blog posts:
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You might not find these words in use too often, but knowing them is part of expanding your vocabulary.
