17 Spanish Words That Start With X: Interesting Facts About X in Spanish

The Spanish letter X is quite unique and interesting. Here’s a quick rundown before we explore the world of Spanish words that start with X.

Oh, one moment! Do you know how to correctly pronounce X in Spanish? If not, no problem: Spring Spanish (a project I co-founded) explains with tips and tricks:

X is one of the least common letters in Spanish. You’ll find relatively few words that start with it, and most of these are of Greek origin or technical terms.

In old Spanish, X was often used to represent the “h” sound. This is why some names have both X and J versions, like “Xavier” and “Javier“. But let’s see the Spanish words that start with X.

1. Xilófono (Xylophone)

The xilófono (xylophone) is a musical instrument with wooden bars struck by mallets. You’ll hear this word in music-related contexts.

María: Oye, ¿has visto el xilófono nuevo en la clase de música? (Hey, have you seen the new xylophone in the music class?)
Carlos: Sí, es precioso. Me encanta el sonido que hace cuando lo tocan. (Yes, it’s beautiful. I love the sound it makes when they play it.)

2. Xenofobia (Xenophobia)

Xenofobia (xenophobia) refers to fear or hatred of foreigners. It’s used in discussions about social issues and discrimination.

Ana: He leído un artículo sobre la xenofobia en Europa. Es muy preocupante. (I’ve read an article about xenophobia in Europe. It’s very concerning.)
Pablo: Es verdad. Deberíamos educar a la gente para combatir la xenofobia. (That’s true. We should educate people to combat xenophobia.)

3. Xerófilo (Xerophilous)

Xerófilo (xerophilous) describes organisms adapted to dry environments. It’s used in botany and ecology.

Lucía: Estoy pensando en plantar algunas plantas xerófilas en mi jardín. (I’m thinking about planting some xerophilous plants in my garden.)
Diego: Buena idea. Las plantas xerófilas son perfectas para ahorrar agua. (Good idea. Xerophilous plants are perfect for saving water.)

4. Xilema (xylem)

Xilema (xylem) is plant tissue that transports water and nutrients. You’ll see this term in biology classes.

Elena: En la clase de biología, aprendimos sobre el xilema hoy. (In biology class, we learned about xylem today.)
Javier: ¿En serio? El xilema es fascinante. Es como el sistema circulatorio de las plantas. (Really? Xylem is fascinating. It’s like the circulatory system of plants.)

5. Xenón (Xenon)

Xenón (xenon) is a chemical element used in lighting and medical applications.

Roberto: ¿Sabías que las luces de xenón son muy populares en los coches de lujo? (Did you know that xenon lights are very popular in luxury cars?)
Isabel: No lo sabía. ¿El xenón da una luz más brillante? (I didn’t know that. Does xenon give a brighter light?)

6. Xerografía (Xerography)

Xerografía (xerography) is a dry photocopying technique used in most modern photocopiers and laser printers.

Sofía: Mi jefe me pidió que hiciera xerografías de todos los contratos. (My boss asked me to make xerographic copies of all the contracts.)
Alejandro: ¿Xerografías? Ah, te refieres a fotocopias. La xerografía es una tecnología interesante. (Xerographic copies? Oh, you mean photocopies. Xerography is an interesting technology.)

7. Xilografía (Xylography)

Xilografía (xylography) is a wood block printing technique used in art and traditional printing methods.

Carmen: Estoy tomando un curso de xilografía en la escuela de arte. (I’m taking a xylography course at the art school.)
Miguel: ¡Qué interesante! La xilografía produce unas impresiones muy bonitas. (How interesting! Xylography produces very beautiful prints.)

8. Xoconostle (Sour prickly pear)

Xoconostle is a sour prickly pear fruit used in Mexican cuisine.

Luisa: ¿Has probado alguna vez el xoconostle? Es muy ácido pero delicioso. (Have you ever tried xoconostle? It’s very sour but delicious.)
Tomás: No, nunca. ¿En qué tipo de platos se usa el xoconostle? (No, never. In what type of dishes is xoconostle used?)

9. Xarda (Mackerel)

Xarda is the Spanish word for mackerel, used in culinary contexts.

Marta: Hoy compré xarda en el mercado para hacer a la plancha. (Today I bought mackerel at the market to grill.)
Pedro: ¡Qué rico! La xarda es uno de mis pescados favoritos. (How delicious! Mackerel is one of my favorite fish.)

10. Xeca (Traditional bread)

Xeca is a type of traditional bread from parts of Spain.

Raquel: En mi pueblo, siempre comemos bocadillos hechos con xeca. (In my town, we always eat sandwiches made with xeca bread.)
Fernando: Nunca he probado la xeca. ¿Es parecida al pan normal? (I’ve never tried xeca. Is it similar to regular bread?)

11. Xifoideo (Xiphoid)

Xifoideo (xiphoid) is an anatomical term referring to a part of the sternum.

Laura: En la clase de anatomía, aprendimos sobre el proceso xifoideo del esternón. (In anatomy class, we learned about the xiphoid process of the sternum.)
Daniel: ¿El xifoideo? Suena complicado. ¿Para qué sirve exactamente? (The xiphoid? Sounds complicated. What exactly is it for?)

12. Xilógrafo (Xilographer)

Xilógrafo (xylographer) is a person who practices xylography.

Eva: Mi abuelo era xilógrafo y me enseñó algunas técnicas cuando era niña. (My grandfather was a xylographer and taught me some techniques when I was a child.)
Andrés: ¡Qué interesante! Debe ser un arte muy delicado ser xilógrafo. (How interesting! Being a xylographer must be a very delicate art.)

13. Xilol (xylene)

Xilol (xylene) is a chemical solvent used in industrial applications.

Clara: En el laboratorio usamos xilol para limpiar algunas muestras. (In the lab, we use xylene to clean some samples.)
Marcos: ¿Xilol? Nunca había oído hablar de eso. ¿Es peligroso? (Xylene? I’ve never heard of that. Is it dangerous?)

14. Xilorimba (A type of musical instrument)

Xilorimba is a musical instrument combining elements of the xylophone and marimba.

Beatriz: ¿Has oído hablar de la xilorimba? Es como una mezcla de xilófono y marimba. (Have you heard of the xilorimba? It’s like a mix between a xylophone and a marimba.)
Ricardo: ¡Qué curioso! Me encantaría escuchar cómo suena una xilorimba. (How curious! I’d love to hear what a xilorimba sounds like.)

15. Xifosuro (Horseshoe crab)

Xifosuro (horseshoe crab) is a marine arthropod.

Silvia: ¿Sabías que los xifosuros son considerados fósiles vivientes? (Did you know that horseshoe crabs are considered living fossils?)
Gabriel: ¿Xifosuros? Nunca había oído esa palabra. ¿Qué aspecto tienen? (Horseshoe crabs? I’ve never heard that word. What do they look like?)

16. Xerocopia (Photocopy)

Xerocopia is another term for a photocopy.

Alicia: Necesito hacer unas xerocopias de estos documentos para la reunión. (I need to make some photocopies of these documents for the meeting.)
Héctor: ¿Xerocopias? Ah, te refieres a fotocopias. La fotocopiadora está por allá. (Photocopies? Oh, you mean photocopies. The copier is over there.)

17. Xerófito (Xerophyte)

Xerófito (xerophyte) is a plant adapted to survive in environments with little water.

Nuria: Estoy pensando en plantar algunos xerófitos en mi jardín para ahorrar agua. (I’m thinking of planting some xerophytes in my garden to save water.)

Learn Spanish words that start with X with Conversation Based Chunking

Spanish words that start with X are really interesting in this language. You can learn them easily because there’s only a few of them. But there’s a better method to learn these words – or maybe other Spanish words that start with b, or Spanish words that start with n, and so on…

The method is: Conversation Based Chunking. This approach focuses on teaching you the language in chunks, in context. So, rather than having to memorize all the boring Spanish grammar rules and grammar definitions, you surround yourself with Spanish everywhere.

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