X is the rarest letter in German vocabulary — but the German words with X that do exist are some of the most useful in the language. Der Text, das Taxi, die Praxis: you cannot get through a day in Germany without them. Every entry below is a real German word with its correct article, English meaning, an example sentence with translation, and a usage note. Pronunciation is the easy part — German X is always [ks] — and our guide to why German words with X are rare explains the fascinating history behind the letter’s scarcity.
The Most Common German Words with X
der Text — text. Schick mir den Text per E-Mail. (Send me the text by email.) From Latin textus; the foundation word of the whole X-family — Textnachricht, Textmarker, Textstelle all build on it.
das Examen — exam (university/state exam). Sie bereitet sich auf das Examen vor. (She’s preparing for her exams.) More formal than die Prüfung; used for final professional examinations. Pronounced [ɛˈksaːmən] — never voice the X to [gz].
exakt — exact, precise (adjective/adverb). Die exakte Uhrzeit kenne ich nicht. (I don’t know the exact time.) A Latin loan that keeps its crisp [ks] in all positions.
das Experiment — experiment. Das Experiment ist gelungen. (The experiment succeeded.) Stress on -ment; classic Greek-via-Latin science vocabulary.
die Explosion — explosion. Die Explosion war weithin zu hören. (The explosion could be heard far and wide.) Note the S pronounced [z] between vowels — Explosion is [ɛksploˈzi̯oːn].
der Export — export. Der Export steigt weiter an. (Exports continue to rise.) Business core vocabulary; the verb is exportieren.
das Exil — exile. Er lebte viele Jahre im Exil. (He lived many years in exile.) Literary and historical register — ins Exil gehen (to go into exile).
der Boxer — boxer; also boxer dog; also boxer shorts (plural Boxershorts). Der Boxer trainiert jeden Tag. (The boxer trains every day.) Three meanings, one word — context decides.
die Box — box; also speaker (music Boxen); also boxing ring. Stell die Box in die Ecke. (Put the box in the corner.) Hugely versatile loanword from English.
mixen — to mix. Sie mixt einen Cocktail. (She’s mixing a cocktail.) The noun is der Mix; both fully naturalized with regular German conjugation (er mixt, gemIXt… properly gemixt).
der Mix — mix, mixture. Der Mix aus Alt und Neu gefällt mir. (I like the mix of old and new.) Short, Scrabble-friendly, everyday.
das Taxi — taxi. Wir nehmen ein Taxi zum Bahnhof. (We’ll take a taxi to the station.) Plural die Taxis or die Taxen; pronounced [ˈtaksi].
die Praxis — practice; doctor’s/lawyer’s office; practical experience. Die Praxis ist neben der Apotheke. (The practice is next to the pharmacy.) In der Praxis also means “in practice” as opposed to theory.
der Extrakt — extract. Der Extrakt wird aus Kräutern gewonnen. (The extract is obtained from herbs.) Formal register — cooking, pharmacy, chemistry.
die Hexe — witch. Die Hexe fliegt auf dem Besen. (The witch flies on her broom.) One of the few native Germanic X-words, from Old High German hagzissa — see the history in why X is rare in German.
der Hexenschuss — lumbago, sudden back pain (literally “witch’s shot”). Er hat einen Hexenschuss und kann sich kaum bewegen. (He has lumbago and can hardly move.) Colorful compound every German knows.
der Index — index. Der Index steht hinten im Buch. (The index is at the back of the book.) Also finance: der Aktienindex (stock index).
der Kontext — context. Man muss den Kontext beachten. (You have to consider the context.) Academic and everyday; aus dem Kontext gerissen (taken out of context).
der Komplex — complex (buildings); also psychological complex. Der Komplex umfasst drei Gebäude. (The complex comprises three buildings.) Minderwertigkeitskomplex (inferiority complex) is the famous extended form.
More German Words with X for Your Vocabulary
die Boxhandschuhe (plural) — boxing gloves. Die Boxhandschuhe hängen an der Wand. (The boxing gloves hang on the wall.) Compound of Boxen + Handschuhe; singular der Boxhandschuh.
der Boxenstopp — pit stop. Der Boxenstopp dauerte nur drei Sekunden. (The pit stop took only three seconds.) From English motor racing; Box here is the pit box.
der Exfreund — ex-boyfriend. Ihr Exfreund ruft ständig an. (Her ex-boyfriend keeps calling.) The Ex- prefix works productively: Exfreundin, Exmann, Exfrau.
die Exfreundin — ex-girlfriend. Seine Exfreundin wohnt in Berlin. (His ex-girlfriend lives in Berlin.) Same productive Ex- prefix, feminine form.
der Taxifahrer — taxi driver. Der Taxifahrer kennt jede Abkürzung. (The taxi driver knows every shortcut.) Feminine: die Taxifahrerin.
die Hexenjagd — witch hunt (literal and figurative). Die Hexenjagd des Mittelalters war brutal. (The medieval witch hunt was brutal.) Also political: eine Hexenjagd gegen Kritiker.
der Textmarker — highlighter pen. Markiere die Stelle mit dem Textmarker. (Highlight the passage with the highlighter.) A German compound built on the English-loan Text — see more in German compound words with X.
die Textnachricht — text message. Ich habe dir eine Textnachricht geschickt. (I sent you a text message.) The standard German word for SMS.
der Indexfonds — index fund. Er investiert monatlich in einen Indexfonds. (He invests monthly in an index fund.) Finance compound; plural die Indexfonds.
das Faxgerät — fax machine. Das Faxgerät steht im Büro. (The fax machine is in the office.) Fading from offices but alive in compounds and bureaucracy.
die Axt — axe. Er spaltet Holz mit der Axt. (He splits wood with the axe.) The most famous native Germanic X-word — English axe is its cognate.
die Nixe — mermaid, water sprite. Die Nixe sang ein trauriges Lied. (The mermaid sang a sad song.) Native folklore vocabulary from Old High German nicchessa.
das Lexikon — dictionary, encyclopedia. Schlag das Wort im Lexikon nach. (Look the word up in the dictionary.) From Greek lexikon; the scholarly cousin of das Wörterbuch.
der Exot — exotic person or thing. Diese Frucht ist ein echter Exot. (This fruit is a real exotic.) Adjective form: exotisch.
exotisch — exotic. Sie kocht exotische Gerichte. (She cooks exotic dishes.) No article — adjective; keeps the [ks] crisp.
die Hexerei — witchcraft, sorcery. Im Mittelalter glaubte man an Hexerei. (In the Middle Ages people believed in witchcraft.) The abstract noun of the Hex- family.
der Hexer — sorcerer, wizard (masculine). Der Hexer braut einen Trank. (The sorcerer is brewing a potion.) Masculine counterpart to die Hexe.
verhexen — to bewitch, cast a spell on. Sie hat ihn völlig verhext. (She completely bewitched him.) Separable? No — ver- prefix verbs are inseparable: er verhext, verhext.
das Exemplar — copy, specimen. Die Bibliothek hat drei Exemplare. (The library has three copies.) Ein Exemplar = one copy of a book, or one specimen in biology.
boxen — to box (verb). Er boxt seit fünf Jahren. (He’s been boxing for five years.) Regular verb; the sport noun is das Boxen.
X Spelling Patterns: ex-, extra-, and -xen
German X-words cluster into predictable spelling patterns. Learn the patterns and you can spell X-words you’ve never seen:
The ex- prefix (Latin “out of, from”). exakt, das Examen, das Experiment, die Explosion, der Export, das Exil, der Extrakt, das Exemplar, die Expedition, exotisch. If a formal German word starts with ex-, it has X — no exceptions. This one pattern covers half the X-section.
The extra- prefix (Latin “outside, beyond”). extra (as adverb: extra zahlen — to pay extra), der Extrakt, extravagant, die Extrawurst (special treatment — literally “extra sausage,” a beloved idiom: eine Extrawurst bekommen). Note the inconsistency: extravagant keeps X, but everyday die Extrawurst is the word you’ll actually say.
The -xen verb family. mixen, boxen, hexen (to do witchcraft — hexen is real: Sie kann hexen), taxieren (to estimate — from die Taxe, the fare). German verbs in -xen conjugate regularly: er mixt, er mixte, er hat gemixt.
The -xion/-xur traps. die Explosion, der Kontext, die Hexenjagd — the X sits mid-word where English might double-consonant. And watch die Praxis (X) vs. praktisch (no X! adjective of praktisch uses CH… no — praktisch is spelled with K: p-r-a-k-t-i-s-c-h). This is the classic confusion pair: noun die Praxis [ˈpʁaksɪs] with X, adjective praktisch [ˈpʁaktɪʃ] with K. Memorize them as a pair.
German Words with X: Pronunciation Cheat Sheet
Every German X is [ks]. That’s the whole cheat sheet — but here are the edge cases learners ask about:
- das Examen [ɛˈksaːmən] — never [gz] like English exam. Unvoiced, crisp.
- die Explosion [ɛksploˈzi̯oːn] — the S between vowels voices to [z], but the X stays [ks].
- die Hexe [ˈhɛksə] — the E is short [ɛ], not English “hee.”
- das Taxi [ˈtaksi] — stress on TA, short A.
- der Boxer [ˈbɔksɐ] — the O is open [ɔ].
- exakt [ɛˈksakt] — stress on the second syllable.
Record yourself saying all six, then compare with a German text-to-speech voice. If your X ever drifts toward [gz] or [z], slow down and re-articulate the [k] — the fix is always “more K.”
Quiz: Test Your X Vocabulary
- Translate “the text message.” (die Textnachricht)
- Which article does Taxi take? (das)
- Name the native Germanic X-word meaning “axe.” (die Axt)
- How do you pronounce the X in Examen? ([ks] — never [gz])
- What’s der Hexenschuss in English? (lumbago — sudden back pain)
- Which X-word means “index fund”? (der Indexfonds)
- Die Box has three meanings — name them. (box/container, speaker, boxing ring)
- Why are there so few German X-words? (X isn’t Germanic — nearly all X-words are Greek/Latin/French/English loans; see why X is rare.)
6–8 correct: X-master. 4–5: solid. Below 4: re-read the list above — then try the X-compounds list for reinforcement.
X-Words by Theme: A Quick Finder
Looking for the right X-word fast? Find your theme:
Office & writing: der Text, die Textnachricht, der Textmarker, die Textstelle, der Textabschnitt, der Texteditor, das Faxgerät, die Faxnummer, der Index.
Science & academia: das Experiment, der Extrakt, das Examen, exakt, der Kontext, der Komplex, das Lexikon, das Exemplar, die Expedition.
Business & trade: der Export, die Exportquote, der Exportüberschuss, der Exporteur, extra (as in extra zahlen), der Indexfonds.
Body & health: der Hexenschuss (back pain!), die Praxis (doctor’s office), die Boxhandschuhe (sports health, sort of).
Sports & leisure: der Boxer, die Box, der Boxkampf, der Boxenstopp, der Mix, mixen, der Mixer, das Mixgetränk, das Taxi, der Taxifahrer.
Folklore & history: die Hexe, der Hexer, die Hexerei, die Hexenjagd, das Exil, die Axt, die Nixe.
Daily life: das Taxi, die Box (package), der Keks (cookie — the naturalized X-word), die Taxifahrt.
Notice how each theme tells a mini-story about where X lives in German: the office (Latin loans), the lab (Greek loans), the market (modern English loans), the forest (ancient native words). X isn’t randomly scattered — it’s stratified by history. Learn the strata and the vocabulary organizes itself.
Using X-Words Naturally: Register and Tone
X-words carry a register signal — use it deliberately:
Formal/written: das Examen, der Extrakt, das Exemplar, die Expedition, der Kontext, der Index. These belong in reports, academia, and official speech. Using das Examen instead of die Prüfung elevates your register instantly.
Neutral/everyday: der Text, die Textnachricht, das Taxi, der Mix, die Box, die Praxis, exakt. Nobody notices these — they’re invisible infrastructure.
Colorful/idiomatic: der Hexenschuss, die Hexenjagd, der Keks (as in “der Keks ist gegessen” — the deed is done, literally “the cookie is eaten”), die Extrawurst (“eine Extrawurst bekommen” — to get special treatment).
Slang/youth: mein Ex (my ex), mixen (DJ culture), die Box (speaker, music scene).
Match the X-word to the situation and you’ll sound native: Examen in the lecture hall, Prüfung in the school corridor, Hexenschuss with the physiotherapist, Rückenschmerzen (back pain, clinical) with the doctor. The X often marks the more vivid, more specific, or more formal choice — which is exactly what you’d expect from a letter of scholars and poets.
Key Takeaways
These German words with X prove that rarity and usefulness are different things: der Text, das Taxi, die Praxis, and die Hexe are everyday essentials despite X being German’s scarcest letter. Remember the two patterns — learned Greek/Latin loans (Experiment, Kontext, Lexikon) and the tiny native family (Axt, Nixe, Hexe) — and the pronunciation rule that X is always [ks]. For X-words in action, explore German compound words with X, sharpen your game with the German Scrabble Q, X, Y strategy guide, and round out the rare letters with German words starting with Q and German words starting with Y.