4 ms·

To keep it simple, you use an when the first letter of the next word sounds like a vowel when pronounced (vowel sound) and appplies to ancronyms too. Otherwise

To keep it simple, you use an when the first letter of the next word sounds like a vowel when pronounced (vowel sound) and appplies to ancronyms too. Otherwise you use a.

xattt 13d ago
“An MRI report“ vs “a yogurt container”.
- 0manrho 13d ago
  The MRI example is perfect, but I feel like the yogurt one is a bad example given the "and sometimes Y" (is a vowel) thing, or do we just ignore that for a vs an? Like in this context, do we always treat Y when pronounced like "Yes" or "Yogurt" as a consonant?
  - ExoticPearTree 13d ago
    Because “an youghurt container” sounds wrong. English has this thing where you know you wrote or pronounced something correct if it sounds right.
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  - drdec 12d ago
    Because vowels are sounds, not letters
gertrunde 13d ago
The one that I often find irritating is SQL... An "ess queue ell", but a "sequel". :(
- stymaar 13d ago
  How is that irritating? I find it funny that the article gives you a way to distinguish the way the author pronounces it just from their writing.
  - gertrunde 12d ago
    It always feels a bit like hitting a speedbump mid-flow! Mostly breaks concentration/focus etc.
bugufu8f83 13d ago
Yes, I'm well aware. I'm responding to the code in the OP's article (you need to click through the link at the bottom of the HN submission--I have no idea why the OP blog has two separate pages for this).
mrweasel 12d ago
That is probably on of the most confusing things about English. What do you mean "sounds like a vowel"? All vowels sound like vowels, what else would they sound like? While we're at the subject, why is Y not a vowel (except when it is) and why can you have more than one vowel in a syllable. In the example in the article they have unicorn, which is clearly spelled wrong if English were to make sense. The correct spelling should be "junicorn". Fixed. Counting the number of syllables in a language like Danish means you just count the number of vowels. A syllable must have one, and only one, vowel. A word like "you", if it existed in Danish, would have three syllables, because all those letters are vowels, at any point in time.
- ExoticPearTree 12d ago
  For example “I have an MBA” and “I know a mechanic”. When you pronounce the M from MBA, you hear the e in front, you’re saying em-bi-a. But for mechanic, you just have a stromg m. This is what I mean by “if it sounds like a vowel”. And hence an and a.

To keep it simple, you use an when the first letter of the next word sounds like a vowel when pronounced (vowel sound) and appplies to ancronyms too. Otherwise you use a.

xattt 13d ago

“An MRI report“ vs “a yogurt container”.

0manrho 13d ago
The MRI example is perfect, but I feel like the yogurt one is a bad example given the "and sometimes Y" (is a vowel) thing, or do we just ignore that for a vs an? Like in this context, do we always treat Y when pronounced like "Yes" or "Yogurt" as a consonant?
- ExoticPearTree 13d ago
  Because “an youghurt container” sounds wrong. English has this thing where you know you wrote or pronounced something correct if it sounds right.
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- drdec 12d ago
  Because vowels are sounds, not letters

gertrunde 13d ago

The one that I often find irritating is SQL... An "ess queue ell", but a "sequel". :(

stymaar 13d ago
How is that irritating? I find it funny that the article gives you a way to distinguish the way the author pronounces it just from their writing.
- gertrunde 12d ago
  It always feels a bit like hitting a speedbump mid-flow! Mostly breaks concentration/focus etc.

bugufu8f83 13d ago

Yes, I'm well aware. I'm responding to the code in the OP's article (you need to click through the link at the bottom of the HN submission--I have no idea why the OP blog has two separate pages for this).

mrweasel 12d ago

That is probably on of the most confusing things about English. What do you mean "sounds like a vowel"? All vowels sound like vowels, what else would they sound like? While we're at the subject, why is Y not a vowel (except when it is) and why can you have more than one vowel in a syllable. In the example in the article they have unicorn, which is clearly spelled wrong if English were to make sense. The correct spelling should be "junicorn". Fixed. Counting the number of syllables in a language like Danish means you just count the number of vowels. A syllable must have one, and only one, vowel. A word like "you", if it existed in Danish, would have three syllables, because all those letters are vowels, at any point in time.

ExoticPearTree 12d ago
For example “I have an MBA” and “I know a mechanic”. When you pronounce the M from MBA, you hear the e in front, you’re saying em-bi-a. But for mechanic, you just have a stromg m. This is what I mean by “if it sounds like a vowel”. And hence an and a.