We get asked this a lot. We have also seen it spelled in some creative ways, including by The Sunday Times, which managed to introduce us to its readers as “XigXig” yesterday in an otherwise excellent feature on the audiobook boom. (They fixed it. We are choosing to be flattered that they mentioned us at all.)
We have also heard some heroic attempts at pronunciation. “Ksig-ksag” is a popular one, as if it is a Prussian military tactic. “Zhig-zhag” gives it an unexpected French sophistication. “Tsig-tsag” sounds like a Chinese beer. Someone once tried “ecks-ig-ecks-ag” and we had to admire the commitment to pronouncing the x’s. We love all of these, but none of them are right.
So let us clear this up once and for all.
It is pronounced “zig-zag”
That is it. Just like zigzag. The word you already know. Say it out loud and you have got it.
The spelling is xigxag, with two x’s, all lowercase, but the pronunciation is exactly the same as zigzag. No tricks, no unusual emphasis, no silent letters. Zig. Zag.
Why not just call it zigzag?
Because there are hundreds of brands already trademarked as “zigzag.” Zigzag rolling papers, Zigzag sewing machines, Zigzag this, Zigzag that. We wanted a name we could genuinely own.
We are not the first company to solve this problem with an intentional misspelling. Google is a misspelling of “googol.” Xero chose an x instead of a z. Lyft dropped the vowel from “lift.” Flickr dropped the e. Tumblr dropped the e. Reddit is “read it” with different spelling. The pattern works: take a word people already understand, change the spelling just enough to make it distinctive and trademarkable, and let the meaning do the rest.
The x’s in xigxag gave us a clean trademark, a clear domain, and a name that is ours. Once you know how to say it, you do not forget.
What does zigzagging have to do with audiobooks?
Everything, actually.
xigxag is the only audiobook platform that offers a fully integrated listen-and-read experience. Our x-book format lets you listen to the audiobook while seeing the text on screen at the same time. You can follow along with the narrator, look up words, search within the book, take notes, and share quotes. You can switch between listening and reading depending on where you are and what suits the moment: headphones on the train, text on screen at your desk, audio in the car, both together on the sofa.
That switching back and forth (that zigzagging between two ways of experiencing a book) is the whole idea. The name is the product.
Every way people have tried to spell it
We have seen all of these, and we appreciate the effort:
- xigxag: yes! Correct!
- zigzag: you have got the sound right, just not the spelling
- xigxig: hello, Sunday Times
Xig Xag: oops, you’ve included both random capitalisation and an extra space - xig xag: closer, but it is one word
- zigxag: half right
- xigzag: the other half right
- zig zag audiobooks: we will take it
- zag xig: creative
If you have been searching for any of the above, you are in the right place. Welcome.
What is xigxag?
xigxag is an independent, UK-based audiobook platform. We are the UK’s only B Corp certified audiobook company, and we carry over 120,000 titles, all with professional human narration.
There is no subscription. You buy audiobooks one at a time, you own them permanently, and the more you listen over the year, the less you pay per book. Prices start at £8.99, and there is always a selection in our Listen for Less section from £3.99.
The x-book format (the listen-and-read experience that gave us our name) is what makes xigxag different from every other audiobook app. It is especially useful for accessibility, language learning, deeper engagement with non-fiction, and anyone who wants to get more from a book than audio alone.
As The Sunday Times recently put it, the audiobook market is booming, and platforms like xigxag are giving publishers and listeners alternatives to the big subscription services that have dominated the market for years.
Now you know
It is xigxag. Pronounced zigzag. Spelled with x’s because we like to do things a little differently. And if you are here because you Googled something like “zigzag audiobook app” or “xigxig books,” welcome. You found us.
Browse the catalogue at xigxag.co.uk and see what the zigzagging is all about.
