How to Pronounce the Letter X in Portuguese

Compared to some other languages, Portuguese pronunciation is relatively consistent, once you learn the rules. A huge exception to this idea lies the letter X, which is one of the most challenging sounds – even for more intermediate learners.

That's because this letter can be pronounced in several different ways. To get started, let's see what Sherlock has to say on the topic:

(A special thanks to our friend, Wayne for writing and animating this video, as well as for also providing the voice of Sherlock!)

As you saw in the video, there are 5 different ways to pronounce X in European Portuguese. But when you see a new word that contains this letter, how will you know which of the 5 pronunciations to use?

The only way to be fully sure is to memorize the individual words, but there are some common patterns that can help, which we'll explore in this Learning Note: Pronunciation of The Letter X in Portuguese