BEYOND THE BEAN

The reason why people often confuse the spellings "espresso" and "expresso" may be due to a combination of factors. First, the word "espresso" is of Italian origin, and the letter "s" is pronounced differently in Italian than in English. In Italian, the letter "s" is pronounced as a "z" sound, while in English it is pronounced as an "s" sound. This may lead some people to think that the word is spelled with an "x" instead of an "s." Second, the letter combination "es" followed by the letter "s" is not common in English words, which may make the spelling "expresso" seem more intuitive to some English speakers. Finally, it is possible that the misspelling of "expresso" has become common over time due to frequent use and repetition, even though it is technically incorrect.