The letter X has two pronunciations in American English. Here is the first one. When X is followed by a stressed vowel it is pronounced like /gz/.
Here are a few examples:
1. exAct→egzact
2. exActly→egzactly
3. exAmple→egzample
4. exAm→egzam
5. exAmine→egzamine
When an X is followed by a consonant sound it is pronounced like /ks/.
1. exTreme→ekstreme
2. exTinguish→ekstinguish
3. exPect→ekspect
4. contexT-contekst
5. nexT→nekst
When the letter X is at the end of a word it is also pronounced as /ks/.
1. tax→taks
2. fax→faks
These pronunciations of X can be tricky so take it slow and try to feel both of the sounds in /gz/ & /ks/.
Tags: Accent Reduction Techniques, American English Consonant Sounds, American English Pronunciation, vietnamese speakers
