Latinx

Latinx is a neologism in American English which is used to refer to people of Latin American cultural or ethnic identity in the United States. The gender-neutral ⟨-x⟩ suffix replaces the ⟨-o/-a⟩ ending of Latino and Latina that are typical of grammatical gender in Spanish. Its plural is Latinxs. Words used for similar purposes include Latin@, Latine, and the simple Latin. Related gender-neutral neologisms include Xicanx or Chicanx.

The term was first seen online around 2004.^[1] It has since been used in social media by activists, students, and academics who seek to advocate for non-binary and genderqueer individuals. Surveys of Hispanic and Latino Americans have found that the vast majority prefer other terms such as Hispanic and Latina/Latino to describe themselves, and that only 2–3% use Latinx.^[2][3] A 2020 Pew Research Center survey found that roughly three-quarters of U.S. Latinos were not aware of the term Latinx; of those aware of it, 33% (i.e., about 8% of all U.S. Latinos) said it should be used to describe their racial or ethnic group, while 65% said it should not.^[4][3]

Critics say the term does not follow traditional grammar, is difficult to pronounce, and is disrespectful toward conventional Spanish;^[5] the Royal Spanish Academy style guide does not recognize the suffix -x.^[6] Both supporters and opponents have cited linguistic imperialism as a reason for supporting or opposing the use of the term.^[5] Democratic members of the Black and Puerto Rican caucuses introduced legislation to ban its use in government documents, citing cultural appropriation by Americanizers who disfigure the Spanish language.^{[1][7][8][9][10]}