An x-ray vs A x-ray

The correct phrase is 'an x-ray'. The use of 'an' is determined by the sound of the following word, not its spelling. Since 'x-ray' starts with a vowel sound, 'an' is used. 'A x-ray' is incorrect because it violates the rule of using 'an' before words that start with a vowel sound.

Last updated: March 15, 2024 • 1449 views

An x-ray

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

Use 'an x-ray' when referring to a medical imaging technique that uses electromagnetic radiation to view the inside of the body.

Examples:

She had an x-ray to check for any broken bones.
An x-ray revealed a fracture in his arm.

Show examples from the web [+]

Jan 7, 2011 ... Likewise, as you say "EX-RAY", you say, "An X-Ray". The way the word is pronounced is the key factor here, rather than the spelling.
An X-ray is a quick, painless test that produces images of the structures inside your body — particularly your bones. X-ray beams pass through your body, and ...
An x-ray machine sends individual x-ray particles through the body. The images are recorded on a computer or film. Structures that are dense (such as bone) will ...
X-rays can be generated by an X-ray tube, a vacuum tube that uses a high voltage to accelerate the electrons released by a hot cathode to a high velocity.

Alternatives:

a radiograph
a radiogram
a radiograph image
a radiographic image
a radiographic scan

A x-ray

This phrase is incorrect in English.

Show examples from the web [+]

Jan 7, 2011 ... I was asking this question on Area 51: "How do I tell if an airport scanner is a X- ray scanner?", but I keep wanting to put an 'an' in front of X-ray ...
An x-ray (although X is not a vowel, the pronunciation of the X sounds as a vowel. So if you try to pronounce "a x-ray" would sound terrible. Correct "An x-ray).
What do penicillin, Super Glue and X-rays have in common? Their inventors all discovered them by accident! In 1895, German physicist Wilhelm Roentgen ...
... titled “Means for Separately Controlling the Filament Current and Voltage on a X-Ray Tube”, granted to McNulty on November 29, 1966 and showing its patent ...

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An x-ray vs A x-ray

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