# The letter x: examen, extra, México

> id: pronunciation.x · category: pronunciation · depth: standard · levels: B1 · review: internally_reviewed

**Summary.** Between vowels x = ks (examen); before consonants it often relaxes to s (extra ≈ 'estra'). México, Oaxaca, Texas keep an old spelling: their x = j sound.

Default: taxi, éxito with [ks]. Pre-consonant softening to [s] is standard casual speech: explicar ≈ 'esplicar' (don't write it that way).

The Mexican-toponym rule: México = 'Méjico', mexicano = 'mejicano' — x preserved by convention, pronounced as j. Indigenous-origin words vary: Xochimilco starts with s.

Three behaviors to keep apart: between vowels x is [ks] (examen, taxi, éxito); before a consonant it relaxes to [s] in normal speech (explicar ≈ 'esplicar' — but never spell it that way); and in Mexican toponyms it preserves an old spelling pronounced as j (México = 'Méjico', Oaxaca). Indigenous-origin words vary case by case (Xochimilco starts with s).

## Examples
- El examen fue un éxito. — The exam was a success.
- Mi pareja conoce México. — My partner knows Mexico. *(x = j sound here.)*
- El taxi a México salió un éxito, sin extra que explicar. — The taxi to Mexico turned out a success, with no extra to explain.

Related: pronunciation.c-z-s, pronunciation.g-j

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