What's the point of letter "x" in English?

[Cubus]

Why would you need "x" if you can just write "ks" instead?

[OlderAndWiser]

English is an amalgamation of many different languages, and many of them had unique alphabetic characters that git incorporated into the language. Of course, it's redundant. It would be quicker to write "alfabet" but we maintain the digraph. Probably some compromise lost in history.

[NathanDavis]

well, someone said... "why write ks... if we can just go with X instead"

so... here we are

"ks marks the spot"

[Cubus]

With writing "ks" you need one less letter in the alphabet.

[NathanDavis]

yes... but we write words in books

you don't print the entire alphabet every time, lol

[Cubus]

You don't use something if it's not needed for anything.

Letters are used to write specific sounds. Having the letter "x" that sounds exactly the same as "ks" makes it not needed.

[NathanDavis]

that's not true at all...

and allow me to share this link which better illustrates it... lol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfhKldRKmo8

[DrPepper12]

There are several extraneous letters in the English language and the one I hate the most is k.

It's only about 350 years old and entirely redundant.

I've watched for 20 years in the classroom for kids that are English as a second language and my heart just goes out to them. This bastard tongue is hell on earth to learn compared to most other languages.

Exhibit A:

[Dargil]

What's the purpose of" Ph" as in Phase and Physical? Why not F?

[Cubus]

There is none. Just like with "x".

[strateguy632]

That was because it had a different sound.
In past ph was like "p" just adding a breath. So the spelling stayed even when we say f.
For typing they should switch to f less letters!
Also words with silent h "which". *wich.

[LiamJHayden]

The alphabet as it is is likely best, for if we went by purely phonetic spellings the various accents would become separate languages in short order.

[strateguy632]

Because shorter, less letters to write.

[Agape93]

Why not? In old English, s was written as an f.

[FunkyMonkee]

Ekscited? Ksylophone? Ksavier? Ks-ray?

[Cubus]

Yes, why not? My language does not have the letter "X" and we write these words "Ksylofon" "Ksawier" etc.

[FunkyMonkee]

Because that's now how English works.

[SeriouslyNotSerious]

Seks. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻