Writing Tips
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X-ray, x ray
When a single letter is used as a word, it is often capitalized, as in the case of X-ray. The noun is commonly written X-ray with a capital X and a hyphen, and less frequently X ray, x-ray or x ray.
- Clara’s broken rib showed up on the X-ray.
The adjective and verb are always hyphenated.
- Did you get those X-ray glasses advertised at the back of Superman comic books? [adjective]
- The luggage was X-rayed (or x-rayed) to check for illegal drugs. [verb]
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