Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

xoxo

[ɛksəʊɛksəʊ]

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.62 in modern English

Syllables: xoxo
IPA: [ɛksəʊɛksəʊ]

18

Scrabble Score

4

Letters

1

Syllables

2

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Abbreviation of hugs and kisses, usually placed at the end of a letter.

noun

Alternative form of xoxo (an abbreviation for hugs and kisses, usually placed at the end of a letter.)

Etymology

From use of X/x to mean “kiss” and O/o to mean “hug”. Use of “X” to indicate a kiss attested since 1763, preceded by medieval use of an “X”, which was then kissed by illiterates to indicate a signature. Use of “O” is more recent, and presumably created by analogy (e.g., X/O in tic-tac-toe). Speculative theories on precise origins abound, including folk etymologies.

Inflected Forms

xo (alternative) xoxoxo (alternative)

Frequently Paired Words

xxx ooo

Synonyms

88 X's and O's

Questions

How do you pronounce xoxo?: The recorded pronunciation is [ɛksəʊɛksəʊ].
What does xoxo mean?: Abbreviation of hugs and kisses, usually placed at the end of a letter.
Where does xoxo come from?: From use of X/x to mean “kiss” and O/o to mean “hug”. Use of “X” to indicate a kiss attested since 1763, preceded by medieval use of an “X”, which was then kissed by illiterates to indicate a signature. Use of “O” is more recent, and presumably created by analogy (e.g., X/O in tic-tac-toe). Speculative theories on precise origins abound, including folk etymologies.

How to pronounce xoxo

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “xoxo”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling ([ɛksəʊɛksəʊ]) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “xoxo”.
Repeat and practice — Say “xoxo” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.