159 Words that Start with X

Words that Start with X

The 24th and third-last letter of the English alphabet, “X,” is also one of its strangest. It’s the only letter to have a default sound that’s a mixture of two different consonants — K and S. The letter was first used by the ancient Greeks, but it wasn’t until the Etruscans adopted it that its modern identity was cemented, at least as far as the base pronunciation goes. 

From the simple “xi” to the massive “xerographically,” there are only a few hundred words that start with X, but it’s nevertheless important to know those words. They’ll give you a bigger vocabulary and make you smarter, but if you regularly play word games, that’s where they’ll really make a difference.

Words That Start With X in Word Games

Word games come in all shapes and sizes, but they can be broadly classified into two types — those that you play by yourself, and those that are meant to be played against others. The first kind involves games like Word Cookies and Wordscapes as well as puzzles like crosswords. These games are designed with slots for letters decided in advance, and individual letters have no intrinsic value that separates them from others.

The second kind of word game gets much more intense — especially when it comes to tile-based board games like Scrabble, Words With Friends, or Wordfeud. In these games, every tile has a point value, with rarer tiles being worth more. The letter X gives the player 8 points, which puts it fourth or tied in third in the points hierarchy depending on which game you’re playing.

When you factor in the bonuses you can avail based on where you place the letter, there’s a lot of points to be made, so knowing words that start with X is essential.

Different Lengths of Words That Start With X

Despite the fact that a game like Scrabble relies mostly on words 4-8 letters in length, X is unique in that it has barely any Scrabble-legal words shorter than 5 letters. We will therefore deviate from our usual ways and include all the words that start with X under 5 letters, plus some more of the aforementioned length to put a few new tricks up your sleeve.

Less Than 5 Letter Words That Start With X

• XI
• XU
• XIS
• XED
• XYST

5 Letter Words That Start With X

• XEROX
• XYLYL
• XENIC
• XEBEC
• XYSTI

6 Letter Words That Start With X

• XYLOID
• XYLENE
• XENIAS
• XYSTUS
• XENIAL

7 Letter Words That Start With X

• XIPHOID
• XANTHIC
• XERARCH
• XYLITOL
• XENOPUS

8 Letter Words That Start With X

• XANTHATE
• XYLOTOMY
• XENOGENY
• XEROSERE
• XYLIDINE

Frequently Asked Questions

Still have some questions about words that start with X lurking in your mind? You might find the answers here.    

What Are the Most Common Words That Start With X?

With a letter like X, you won’t find any region or dialect in the world that has 5 words that start with X in regular use. However, some of the most common words that start with X worldwide would be xerox, xenon, xylophone, xylem, and xylitol.

Can Learning Words That Start With X Make Me Better at Word Games?

Certainly. When a game’s genre includes the word “word,” the best thing to do is to take a hint and learn as many as possible. There’s no loss, really, as even if you don’t improve much at such games due to poor pattern recognition or a lack of patience, you’ll have plenty of new words in the word list inside your head to impress your friends with.

What Are Some Scrabble Bingos Starting With X?

In Scrabble-speak, the word “Bingo” refers to the fat 50-point bonus you get when you use all 7 of the letters on your rack in a single round. This can often turn the tide of a match or seal it in your favor, so knowing as many 7 letter words as you can is important to say the least. If you don’t know too many X words of this length, we have prepared a few for you:

• XYLIDIN
• XYLENES
• XEROTIC
• XEROSIS
• XYSTERS

How Do I Learn More Words That Start With X?

If you’re still one of those people who are flipping through a dictionary or browsing through web page after web page on Google to find words to learn, we suggest you start using a word finder. By using a word finder, you aren’t just saving yourself time, but learning a lot more in that time. All you need to do to find a list of words that start with X is enter it as the first letter. 

If you want, you can customize the search to include more letters the word should contain, what it should end with, and even how long it should be. That’s not all, either. You can check for the legitimacy of a word in multiple dictionaries including those meant for Scrabble and Words With Friends, and you can also order the results alphabetically or by point value.

Best of all, this service is absolutely free, unlike most online vocabulary courses.

Can a Word Finder Help Me Improve at Word Games?

With everything it can do, there’s no end to how much a word finder can help you improve at games involving words. 

Arguably the best way to get better is to check for words you could have made with your array of letters after you’ve played a round to see what you missed and do better in the future. However, another method of improving is quickly gaining traction — that of giving your opponent access to a word finder while you crank up the old cranium, effectively fighting a machine.