The three jobs of the letter X

1. 1
   box/bɑːks/

   noun

   A container with flat sides, often with a lid.
2. 2
   mix/mɪks/

   verb

   To put different things together so they combine.
3. 3
   next/nekst/iAlso said neks.

   adverb

   Straight after this, with nothing in between.
4. 4
   text/tekst/

   noun

   The written words of something.
5. 5
   exam/ɪɡˈzæm/

   noun

   A set of questions that tests what you know or can do.
6. 6
   exact/ɪɡˈzækt/

   adjective

   Correct in every detail, with nothing off.
7. 7
   exist/ɪɡˈzɪst/

   verb

   To be real, to be there.
8. 8
   luxury/ˈlʌɡʒəri/

   noun

   Something nice to have that you don't really need.
9. 9
   xylophone/ˈzaɪləˌfoʊn/

   noun

   A musical instrument of wooden bars you hit with small mallets.
10. 10
    xerox/ˈzɪrɑːks/

    verb

    To make a paper copy of something on a copying machine.

The sentences

1. Can you put the rest in a box?

2. Mix the eggs and sugar before you add flour.

3. We get off at the next stop, not this one.

4. I copied the text from the sign into my phone.

5. I have an exam in the morning, so wish me luck.

6. Do you know the exact time the train leaves?

7. Does that little bakery still exist, or did it close?

8. A hot shower after a hike feels like real luxury.

9. My kid got a xylophone and hasn't stopped playing it.

10. Could you xerox these pages for me before lunch?

Pronunciation

• next/nekst/

  Three consonants close the word: k, s, t. Keep the t on the end.

• exam/ɪɡˈzæm/

  The x is a gz buzz here, and the first syllable is quick and unstressed: ig-ZAM.

• exact/ɪɡˈzækt/

  Stress on the second syllable, and the x buzzes as gz: ig-ZACT.

• luxury/ˈlʌɡʒəri/

  The x turns into a g plus the zh of 'measure': LUG-zhuh-ree.

• xylophone/ˈzaɪləˌfoʊn/

  Starts with a plain z, and the first syllable rhymes with 'eye': ZY-luh-fone.

• xerox/ˈzɪrɑːks/

  Two different jobs in one word: a z at the start, a ks at the end.

Questions

What do you say when you don't know the precise number?

You could ask, do you know the exact time the train leaves?

What does luxury mean here?

Something nice to have that you don't really need, like a hot shower after a hike.

What's the difference between the x sounds in exam and xylophone?

In exam the x buzzes as gz, ig-ZAM, but xylophone starts with a plain z, ZY-luh-fone.