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, and this character can be played right here. Hence xampú, shampoo, and xerès, sherry. It is neither "ex" nor the kh of "loch". 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 the kh of "loch". 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.