X

French consonant

The letter X has several different pronunciations which can be determined for any given word with specific rules.

Soft pronunciation – like the X in the English word "fix" – phonetic symbol [ks]
   – in front of a consonant
   – at the end of a word or syllable*

Par exemple…
  the letter x    
  une expérience   experience, experiment
  la taxe   tax

* Exception: X at the end of numbers is pronounced like an S.

Par exemple…
  six six
  dix ten

Hard pronunciation – like the X in the English word "example" – phonetic symbol [gz]
   – at the beginning of a word
   – between two vowels in two different syllables

Par exemple…
  le xylophone xylophone
  exact exact, correct

  In a liaison or enchaînement, X is pronounced like a Z.

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French pronunciation

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