From Redblobgames · · 40s
English a vs an rule
Why 'an' and 'a' confuse spellers
In brief
Why 'an' and 'a' confuse spellers Spoken vowel sounds, not written letters, determine English articles Originally reported by Redblobgames.
Spoken sounds matter
The rule for 'a' and 'an' depends on spoken vowel sounds, not written letters.
Unicorn example
Unicorn starts with a vowel letter but a consonant sound, so it takes 'a'.
Hour example
Hour starts with a consonant letter but a vowel sound, so it takes 'an'.
Rare exceptions
Only 129 out of 32,455 words need special rules for articles.
Why this matters
Procedural text generation must account for spoken sounds, not spelling.
What matters most
Spoken vowel sounds, not written letters, determine English articles
