Mx
A title like Mr or Ms that does not indicate gender, usually pronounced mix.
Mx is an honorific, used where you would otherwise write Mr, Mrs, Miss or Ms, that does not indicate gender. [[nonbinary|Nonbinary]] people use it, and so does anyone who would rather their title said nothing about their gender.
It is usually pronounced mix, and less often mux. In an informal 2023 survey of more than 2,400 people who use it, about two in three said mix.
It is older than most people assume. Its first recorded use is in a 1977 issue of the American magazine Single Parent. The x is not short for mixed. It works like a blank, a letter standing in for whatever is not being specified.
Much of the early official acceptance came in the UK. Brighton and Hove City Council voted to allow it on council forms in 2013, the Royal Bank of Scotland offered it in 2014, and by 2015 it was accepted by the Royal Mail, driving licence authorities and most major banks. The Oxford English Dictionary added it in 2015, and Merriam-Webster's unabridged dictionary in 2016.
If a form offers only Mr and Ms, it is still worth asking. Before Mx was on their forms, some UK banks were already changing records to it when customers asked.
Mx does not mean mixed
The spelling invites the reading that Mx is for people who are a mix of man and woman. The x is a placeholder, closer to the x of an unknown, and the title makes no claim about what sits behind it.
It is also not only for nonbinary people. Anyone can use it who would rather not have their gender printed on an envelope.
Saying it well
Say this
- My title is Mx, pronounced mix.
- Dear Mx Rivera.
- Could you change my title to Mx?
- Mx, not Ms, please.
Not this
- You have to choose Mr or Ms
- Mx is not a real title
- Is that short for mixed?
- Writing Mr anyway because the system only has two boxes
Questions people actually ask
What does Mx mean?
A title used in place of Mr, Mrs, Miss or Ms that does not indicate gender.
How do you pronounce Mx?
Most people who use it say mix. Some say mux.
When did Mx start being used?
Its first recorded use is in a 1977 issue of the American magazine Single Parent.
Is Mx in the dictionary?
Yes. The Oxford English Dictionary added it in 2015 and Merriam-Webster's unabridged dictionary in 2016.
Who can use Mx?
Anyone. Nonbinary people use it, and so do people who simply prefer a title without gender.