When is the correct time to use a vs. an?
- A bike.
- An icicle.
- A URL or an URL?
What exactly is the rule? Despite the confusion on when to use these two words, the rule regarding their use is actually quite simple.
What is the Difference Between A and An?
In this post, I will compare a vs. an. Both words are articles and are extremely common in the English sentence. As such, I will go over the general rule for a and an and use each in multiple example sentences.
When to Use A
The basic rule for usinga in a sentence is
- Use a before words, abbreviations, acronyms, or letters that begin with a consonant sound, regardless of their spelling.
For example,
- A dog.
- A fish.
- A university.
- A utopia.
The important part is the soundof the word that follows, not necessarily the letter with which it starts. The above examples have words that begin with vowels and consonants, but we use a for all of them because they begin with the sound of a consonant. More on this below.
When to Use An
An is used before words, abbreviations, acronyms, or letters that begin with a vowel sound, regardless of their spelling.
- An idiot.
- An element.
- An honor.
- An heirloom.
The rule only becomes tricky when you have a vowel with a consonant sound or a consonant with a vowel sound like in our above examples,
- A university (yoo-ne-ver-se-tee).
- A utopia (yoo-toe-pe-a).
- An honor (ah-ner).
When you come across these, ignore what the first letter is and just listen to the sound that it makes. Say the word out loud. If it sounds as if it is beginning with a consonant sound, use a. If it sounds as if it is beginning with a vowel sound, use an.
What if an Adjective is Added in Front of a Noun?
Some people aren’t sure how to apply this rule when an adjective appears before the noun being referred to.
For example, which of these are correct?
- I went to an exciting concert last night. (CORRECT)
- I went to a exciting concert last night. (WRONG)
The same rule still applies. “A” is used before words starting in consonant sounds and “an” is used before words starting with vowel sounds. It doesn’t matter if the word is an adjective, a noun, an adverb, or anything else; the rule is exactly the same.
Problem Words with An vs. A
There is, however, some disagreement (although it is decreasing year by year) on how to treat certain words that begin with “h,” specifically historic and historical.
But how can that be? Ask any English speaker today to say “historic” and you will almost invariably hear a distinct “h” sound at the beginning of the word.
English speakers of today might pronounce “historic” with an “h” sound, but The American Heritage Dictionary has a wonderful usage note explaining how that was not always the case.
In the usage note, American Heritage states that “an” was at one time a more common variant before words beginning with “h,” words where the first syllable is now unstressed. This is why you will quite routinely see in 18th-century literature both “a historical” and “an historical.” Back then, this usage made logical sense because many people did not pronounce the “h” at the beginning of the word. The usage note goes on to say that “by the late 19th century educated speakers usually gave their initial h’s a huff, and the practice of writing an before such words began to die out.”
You will still see “an historical” in writing every now and then and, although The American Heritage Dictionary says that both forms acceptable in formal writing, “an historical” should be avoided. Both The Chicago Manual of Style and The AP Stylebook hold that “a historic” is the proper form.
There are a few other problem “h” words out there. Here is a list of most of them and their proper forms.
- An hour.
- An honor.
- An honorary degree.
- A hysterectomy.
- A heredity trait.
- An heir.
- An heirloom.
- An herb.
- A humble man.
- An homage to the fallen.
As we said above, this rule also applies to acronyms and initialisms. Whether or not to use an or a depends on the pronunciation.
- An NBC television show.
- An HTML document.
- A CBS news outlet.
- A Microsoft program.
-but-
So, to answer our opening question about URLs, it should be a URL since URL is normally pronounced U-R-L.
Summary
Is it a or an? Both a and an are used as articles in the English sentences, but their use use differs based on what words follow.
How to Use A and An:
- A is used with consonant sounds.
- An is used with vowel sounds.
FAQs
A and an are different forms of the same word, the indefinite article that often precedes a noun. A is used before a noun that starts with a consonant sound (e.g., “s,” “t,” “v”). An is used before a noun that starts with a vowel sound (e.g., “a,” “o,” “i”).
When to use a vs an in a sentence? ›
A and an are two different forms of the same word: the indefinite article a that is used before noun phrases. Use a when the noun or adjective that comes next begins with a consonant sound. Use an when the noun or adjective that comes next begins with a vowel sound.
What is the rule of a or an? ›
Use a before nouns that begin with a consonant sound, and use an before nouns that begin with a vowel sound. Use the article a or an to indicate any non-specified member of a group or category.
How do you explain the use of A and an? ›
Remember, using a or an depends on the sound that begins the next word. So...
- a + singular noun beginning with a consonant: a boy; a car; a bike; a zoo; a dog.
- an + singular noun beginning with a vowel: an elephant; an egg; an apple; an idiot; an orphan.
The general rule for using a vs an is that a should be used before a word that begins with a consonant or consonant sound and an should be used with a word that begins with a vowel or a vowel sound.
Where do we use and or in a sentence? ›
Therefore, the use of the slash in “and/or” indicates that we mean “and” or also “or.” Let's look at the same example with “and/or” below. I would like a pizza and/or chips for lunch please. The slash means that I will be happy to eat a pizza, OR chips, OR both pizza AND chips for lunch.
When should I use or in a sentence? ›
Or is a conjunction that connects two or more possibilities or alternatives. It connects words, phrases and clauses which are the same grammatical type: Which do you prefer? Leather or suede?
What is the grammar rule of or? ›
Or is a coordinating conjunction, which means that it coordinates two elements of equal syntactic importance (i.e., two things of identical grammatical weight).
What is an example of sentences using a or an? ›
When to Use A vs. An | Difference & Example Sentences
| Examples: A in a sentence | Examples: An in a sentence |
|---|
| He had a dog when he was a child. Oranges are a good source of Vitamin C. | She had an aneurysm when she was a child. Many employees of the company owned an iPhone. |
1 more rowOct 2, 2022
The simple answer is yes. Or is a conjunction that can be used to begin a sentence. However, in certain situations, it's best not to start a sentence with or.
“A” is used before a consonant, and “an” is used before vowels and with silent h words. For example – a glass, an apple, or an honest girl. “A” and “an” can precede words beginning with a vowel, which have consonant sounds. For example – I wish to go to a university after school.
What is a and an called in grammar? ›
A/an and the: meaning
A/an and the are articles. They are a type of determiner and they go before a noun. A/an before a noun shows that what is referred to is not already known to the speaker, listener, writer and/or reader (it is the indefinite article):
What does and or mean in a statement? ›
And/or, however, is not ambiguous at all. It has a definite, agreed-upon meaning: when used properly, the construct means “A or B or both.” In most areas of law, there simply is no compelling reason to avoid using and/or. The term is clear and concise.
What are the rules for article A or an? ›
"A" goes before words that begin with consonants. "An" goes before words that begin with vowels: an apricot. an egg.
How do you determine A and an? ›
'A' and 'an' are both indefinite articles used before nouns or before adjectives that modify nouns. To determine if you should use 'a' or 'an' before a word, you need to listen to the sound the word begins with. Use 'a' if the word begins with a consonant sound and use 'an' if the word begins with a vowel sound.
Is it a hotel or an hotel? ›
Both “a hotel” and “an hotel” are correct, but “a hotel” is more commonly used. The use of “an” before “hotel” is based on the pronunciation of the word. If the “h” in “hotel” is silent, as it is in some dialects or accents, then “an hotel” would be appropriate.
What is an example of a or an? ›
Words that have a silent “h” begin with a vowel sound, so they use “an.” For words where the “h” sound is pronounced, such as hat, hotel, or hard, use “a.” For words where the “h” is silent, such as honor, hour, or honest, use “an.”
Is it a university or an university? ›
a university will be correct. The thing is, that in English you put 'a' article not before a consonant letter, but sound. The same is with 'an' article. It goes before vowel sound, but not letter.
Do we say a year or an year? ›
Since the letter Y makes a consonant sound in the word "year", we should use the word "a" before it, not the word "an". a year is correct.
Is it an hour or an hour? ›
A and an are different forms of the indefinite article. Words where the “h” is silent, such as honor or honest, use “an” instead of “a.” Since the “h” in “hour” is silent, it is “an hour” instead of “a hour.”
The basic rule for usinga in a sentence is
An is used before words, abbreviations, acronyms, or letters that begin with a vowel sound, regardless of their spelling.