An Encylopedia Britannica Company
Ask the Editor

A or An: Which Should I Use?

Question
In the following example, why is "an" used before "FYI" and not "a"? Just an FYI, there is no school next Friday. — Henry, United States
Answer

"A" is used before a word that starts with a consonant sound. "An" is used before a word that starts with a vowel sound. Below are some examples:

a cat

an apple

a big elephant

an elephant

a sweet sentiment

an irritating sound

 

Note that it is the sound and not the letter that matters:

a unicorn (The first sound in "unicorn" is /j/, a consonant sound.)

an honor (The first sound in "honor" is /ɑ/, a vowel sound.)

 

"An" is used before "FYI" because it is pronounced /ˌɛfˌwaɪˈaɪ/ and so the first sound is /ɛ/, a vowel sound.

 

I hope this helps.

 

Archive
You can read more articles in the archive.