X x — ics
«ics» is a consonant of Valencian, the “the Valencian Latin alphabet” script, read as “sh at the start of a word; ks between vowels”. Sh at the start of a word and after a consonant: xocolata comes out "shocolata". Between vowels — ks: examen. For example, in the word “xocolata” — chocolate. The Valencian alphabet has 35 letters in total. Hence xampú, shampoo, and xerès, sherry. It is neither "ex" nor a Spanish j. It appears, for example, in the word “el peix” — fish.
In short
| Character | X x |
| Name | ics |
| Sound | sh at the start of a word; ks between vowels |
| What it is | a consonant |
In our course the character comes 30th of 35: the order here is not alphabetical but from familiar to unfamiliar, its neighbours in the course are w and y, appears in 209 words of this site.
How it sounds
Sh at the start of a word and after a consonant: xocolata comes out "shocolata". Between vowels — ks: examen
The character in a word
A lone character is hard to remember: memory holds on to meaning, and a letter has none. The word it stands in provides that anchor.
- xocolatachocolate
The character in the “the signature signs” group
ç is the only letter with a cedilla, l·l the only mid-word dot in Europe. The letter pairs are not letters, but without them you cannot read so much as a menu.
Words with this character
How to remember this character
A single letter is the hardest thing to remember: memory has nothing to hold on to — a character has no meaning. A three-step loop works: see the character, try to recall the sound (for «ics» it is “sh at the start of a word; ks between vowels”, as in the word “xocolata”), see the right answer.
And come back to it the next day, not in an hour: a check a day or two later beats a check the same day. Nobody holds the whole alphabet — 35 letters — at once.
- It is better to test yourself the next day than at the end of the same session. That is why a word comes back to you tomorrow.checked many timesAdesope, Trevisan & Sundararajan, 2017, Review of Educational Research 87(3) · g = 0.82 when tested a day or two later, against 0.56 on the same day.
- Studying a little every day gets more into your head than spending the same total time in one sitting.checked many timesDonovan & Radosevich, 1999, Journal of Applied Psychology 84(5) · 63 studies compared, difference d = 0.46 — a sizeable figure for a learning effect.
Frequently asked
How does the Valencian character x read?
As “sh at the start of a word; ks between vowels” — it is a consonant of the “the Valencian Latin alphabet” script. Sh at the start of a word and after a consonant: xocolata comes out "shocolata". Between vowels — ks: examen. For example, in the word “xocolata” — chocolate.
What is the letter x called?
Ics. A character's name and its sound are different things in the Valencian script: it is called “ics” and reads as “sh at the start of a word; ks between vowels”. Learn the second one: the name only helps when the alphabet is recited aloud.
What can x be confused with?
Hence xampú, shampoo, and xerès, sherry. It is neither "ex" nor a Spanish j. Similar characters are best studied side by side and deliberately compared: learned on different days, they stay separate and get mixed up at their first meeting inside a word.