letra equis
/letɾa ekis/from spelling rules
The English phrase "letter x" is translated into Spanish as letra equis.
This phrase is used to name the twenty-fourth letter of the alphabet.
What does it mean word for word?
letra means "letter" in the context of an alphabet, and equis is the name for the letter "x".
Did you know?
- In Spanish, the phrase equis can be used as a stand-alone response to mean 'whatever' or 'it does not matter'.
- The word letra comes from the Latin littera, which originally traced back to the Ancient Greek word diphthéra, meaning a 'tablet'.
- While equis is the name of the letter, Spanish speakers use the word tache to describe the 'X' mark used to cross something out or indicate an error.
Examples in context
- La letra equis es difícil de escribir.The letter x is difficult to write.
- ¿Cómo se escribe la letra equis?How do you write the letter x?
Example conversation
Elena and Daniel are practicing spelling words in a classroom.
- ElenaDaniel, ¿cómo se deletrea tu apellido?Daniel, how do you spell your last name?
- DanielEs difícil, tiene una letra equis.It's difficult, it has a letter x.
- Elena¿Es la letra equis al principio?Is the letter x at the beginning?
- DanielNo, está en medio de la palabra.No, it is in the middle of the word.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries letra, CC BY-SA 4.0.
