Consonant X has two sounds. Its most common sound is the unvoiced sound it makes at the ends of words or syllables and says: /ks/, /ks/, /ks/, box.

Although rare, when Consonant X is at the beginning of a word it will make a voiced sound: /z/, /z/, /z/, xylophone.

Look at this image and decide how it can help you remember the two sounds of Consonant X.

Words that start with X are uncommon Greek words, such as “xanthic” or “xenophobe”; or proper nouns, such as “Xerox” or “Xander”.