Do you use “a” or “an” before acronyms / initialisms?











up vote
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99% of the time, I'm clear on when I should use "a" versus "an." There's one case, though, where people & references I respect disagree.



Which of the following would you precede with "a" or "an," and why?




  • FAQ

  • FUBAR

  • SCUBA


[Note: I've read the questions "A historic..." or "An historic…"? and Use of "a" versus "an", but the rules given there don't necessarily apply here.]





[Edited to add]



Here's a shorter (and hopefully clearer) version of the question… In written English, which is correct (and why): "a FAQ" or "an FAQ"?



Some references with differing opinions:





  • an: the UC San Diego Editorial Style Guide and Apple Publications Style Guide


  • a: the Microsoft Manual of Style for Tech Publications, 3e

  • either: the alt.usage.english FAQ and Yahoo! Style Guide










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  • 8




    "An RPG". The controlling factor is whether it's spoken with a vowel sound. (So "an hour", "a unicorn", etc.)
    – chaos
    Feb 6 '11 at 4:46






  • 25




    This does raise questions about when there are multiple common pronunciations of the acronym. Like "SQL" is sometimes pronounced "es-kew-el", and sometimes "sequel". The former would call for "an" and the latter for "a". I think, though, that we always choose "a" or "an" based on pronunciation of the acronym and not the spelled-out words, e.g. "an SST", as in "an ess-ess-tee", not "a supersonic transport".
    – Jay
    Sep 30 '11 at 14:32






  • 6




    @Jay SQL: In which case the writer picks their own style (or follows the in-house style) and uses it consistently.
    – Hugo
    Sep 30 '11 at 15:10






  • 6




    Or rephrases all sentences with SQL to avoid putting either "a" or "an" in front of it.
    – yoozer8
    Sep 30 '11 at 17:25






  • 6




    @Jim: While I admit to sometimes rephrasing a sentence to avoid a spelling or grammar problem, that is the coward's way out!
    – Jay
    Oct 4 '11 at 15:09















up vote
211
down vote

favorite
53












99% of the time, I'm clear on when I should use "a" versus "an." There's one case, though, where people & references I respect disagree.



Which of the following would you precede with "a" or "an," and why?




  • FAQ

  • FUBAR

  • SCUBA


[Note: I've read the questions "A historic..." or "An historic…"? and Use of "a" versus "an", but the rules given there don't necessarily apply here.]





[Edited to add]



Here's a shorter (and hopefully clearer) version of the question… In written English, which is correct (and why): "a FAQ" or "an FAQ"?



Some references with differing opinions:





  • an: the UC San Diego Editorial Style Guide and Apple Publications Style Guide


  • a: the Microsoft Manual of Style for Tech Publications, 3e

  • either: the alt.usage.english FAQ and Yahoo! Style Guide










share|improve this question




















  • 8




    "An RPG". The controlling factor is whether it's spoken with a vowel sound. (So "an hour", "a unicorn", etc.)
    – chaos
    Feb 6 '11 at 4:46






  • 25




    This does raise questions about when there are multiple common pronunciations of the acronym. Like "SQL" is sometimes pronounced "es-kew-el", and sometimes "sequel". The former would call for "an" and the latter for "a". I think, though, that we always choose "a" or "an" based on pronunciation of the acronym and not the spelled-out words, e.g. "an SST", as in "an ess-ess-tee", not "a supersonic transport".
    – Jay
    Sep 30 '11 at 14:32






  • 6




    @Jay SQL: In which case the writer picks their own style (or follows the in-house style) and uses it consistently.
    – Hugo
    Sep 30 '11 at 15:10






  • 6




    Or rephrases all sentences with SQL to avoid putting either "a" or "an" in front of it.
    – yoozer8
    Sep 30 '11 at 17:25






  • 6




    @Jim: While I admit to sometimes rephrasing a sentence to avoid a spelling or grammar problem, that is the coward's way out!
    – Jay
    Oct 4 '11 at 15:09













up vote
211
down vote

favorite
53









up vote
211
down vote

favorite
53






53





99% of the time, I'm clear on when I should use "a" versus "an." There's one case, though, where people & references I respect disagree.



Which of the following would you precede with "a" or "an," and why?




  • FAQ

  • FUBAR

  • SCUBA


[Note: I've read the questions "A historic..." or "An historic…"? and Use of "a" versus "an", but the rules given there don't necessarily apply here.]





[Edited to add]



Here's a shorter (and hopefully clearer) version of the question… In written English, which is correct (and why): "a FAQ" or "an FAQ"?



Some references with differing opinions:





  • an: the UC San Diego Editorial Style Guide and Apple Publications Style Guide


  • a: the Microsoft Manual of Style for Tech Publications, 3e

  • either: the alt.usage.english FAQ and Yahoo! Style Guide










share|improve this question















99% of the time, I'm clear on when I should use "a" versus "an." There's one case, though, where people & references I respect disagree.



Which of the following would you precede with "a" or "an," and why?




  • FAQ

  • FUBAR

  • SCUBA


[Note: I've read the questions "A historic..." or "An historic…"? and Use of "a" versus "an", but the rules given there don't necessarily apply here.]





[Edited to add]



Here's a shorter (and hopefully clearer) version of the question… In written English, which is correct (and why): "a FAQ" or "an FAQ"?



Some references with differing opinions:





  • an: the UC San Diego Editorial Style Guide and Apple Publications Style Guide


  • a: the Microsoft Manual of Style for Tech Publications, 3e

  • either: the alt.usage.english FAQ and Yahoo! Style Guide







articles acronyms indefinite-articles






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edited 27 mins ago









Community

1




1










asked Aug 16 '10 at 8:05









Dori

2,32631721




2,32631721








  • 8




    "An RPG". The controlling factor is whether it's spoken with a vowel sound. (So "an hour", "a unicorn", etc.)
    – chaos
    Feb 6 '11 at 4:46






  • 25




    This does raise questions about when there are multiple common pronunciations of the acronym. Like "SQL" is sometimes pronounced "es-kew-el", and sometimes "sequel". The former would call for "an" and the latter for "a". I think, though, that we always choose "a" or "an" based on pronunciation of the acronym and not the spelled-out words, e.g. "an SST", as in "an ess-ess-tee", not "a supersonic transport".
    – Jay
    Sep 30 '11 at 14:32






  • 6




    @Jay SQL: In which case the writer picks their own style (or follows the in-house style) and uses it consistently.
    – Hugo
    Sep 30 '11 at 15:10






  • 6




    Or rephrases all sentences with SQL to avoid putting either "a" or "an" in front of it.
    – yoozer8
    Sep 30 '11 at 17:25






  • 6




    @Jim: While I admit to sometimes rephrasing a sentence to avoid a spelling or grammar problem, that is the coward's way out!
    – Jay
    Oct 4 '11 at 15:09














  • 8




    "An RPG". The controlling factor is whether it's spoken with a vowel sound. (So "an hour", "a unicorn", etc.)
    – chaos
    Feb 6 '11 at 4:46






  • 25




    This does raise questions about when there are multiple common pronunciations of the acronym. Like "SQL" is sometimes pronounced "es-kew-el", and sometimes "sequel". The former would call for "an" and the latter for "a". I think, though, that we always choose "a" or "an" based on pronunciation of the acronym and not the spelled-out words, e.g. "an SST", as in "an ess-ess-tee", not "a supersonic transport".
    – Jay
    Sep 30 '11 at 14:32






  • 6




    @Jay SQL: In which case the writer picks their own style (or follows the in-house style) and uses it consistently.
    – Hugo
    Sep 30 '11 at 15:10






  • 6




    Or rephrases all sentences with SQL to avoid putting either "a" or "an" in front of it.
    – yoozer8
    Sep 30 '11 at 17:25






  • 6




    @Jim: While I admit to sometimes rephrasing a sentence to avoid a spelling or grammar problem, that is the coward's way out!
    – Jay
    Oct 4 '11 at 15:09








8




8




"An RPG". The controlling factor is whether it's spoken with a vowel sound. (So "an hour", "a unicorn", etc.)
– chaos
Feb 6 '11 at 4:46




"An RPG". The controlling factor is whether it's spoken with a vowel sound. (So "an hour", "a unicorn", etc.)
– chaos
Feb 6 '11 at 4:46




25




25




This does raise questions about when there are multiple common pronunciations of the acronym. Like "SQL" is sometimes pronounced "es-kew-el", and sometimes "sequel". The former would call for "an" and the latter for "a". I think, though, that we always choose "a" or "an" based on pronunciation of the acronym and not the spelled-out words, e.g. "an SST", as in "an ess-ess-tee", not "a supersonic transport".
– Jay
Sep 30 '11 at 14:32




This does raise questions about when there are multiple common pronunciations of the acronym. Like "SQL" is sometimes pronounced "es-kew-el", and sometimes "sequel". The former would call for "an" and the latter for "a". I think, though, that we always choose "a" or "an" based on pronunciation of the acronym and not the spelled-out words, e.g. "an SST", as in "an ess-ess-tee", not "a supersonic transport".
– Jay
Sep 30 '11 at 14:32




6




6




@Jay SQL: In which case the writer picks their own style (or follows the in-house style) and uses it consistently.
– Hugo
Sep 30 '11 at 15:10




@Jay SQL: In which case the writer picks their own style (or follows the in-house style) and uses it consistently.
– Hugo
Sep 30 '11 at 15:10




6




6




Or rephrases all sentences with SQL to avoid putting either "a" or "an" in front of it.
– yoozer8
Sep 30 '11 at 17:25




Or rephrases all sentences with SQL to avoid putting either "a" or "an" in front of it.
– yoozer8
Sep 30 '11 at 17:25




6




6




@Jim: While I admit to sometimes rephrasing a sentence to avoid a spelling or grammar problem, that is the coward's way out!
– Jay
Oct 4 '11 at 15:09




@Jim: While I admit to sometimes rephrasing a sentence to avoid a spelling or grammar problem, that is the coward's way out!
– Jay
Oct 4 '11 at 15:09










9 Answers
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accepted










It depends on whether the abbreviation is an acronym or an initialism. As "fubar" and "scuba" are usually pronounced as a word (making them acronyms), it would make sense to say "a fubar" and "a scuba diver". "FAQ" is a bit harder, because I have heard people say it like an initialism: "‹f›‹a›‹q›", while others pronounce it as an acronym /fæk/. Therefore, one should write either "a FAQ" or "an FAQ" depending on how that person pronounces it, ie, whether it is an acronym or an initialism.






share|improve this answer



















  • 18




    +1 Exactly, it depends on how you pronounce these acronyms.
    – b.roth
    Aug 16 '10 at 8:21






  • 19




    Thanks for the teaching :-) Indeed there is a difference in the strict sense :-) So is CD-ROM an acronym or an initialism?
    – Vincent McNabb
    Aug 16 '10 at 9:08








  • 4




    @Dori - yes. Whichever way you write it, it will trip up some readers. The Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA) lists two results for "a FAQ", and one result for "an FAQ", so "a FAQ" is probably more common. Google also shows a preference for "a FAQ".
    – Vincent McNabb
    Aug 17 '10 at 0:12








  • 4




    The whole “ acronyms must be pronounced as words” distinction appears to be one that is only made by dictionaries. From what I can tell, any abbreviation that is made from initials is called an acronym if it is pronounced differently from what the initials stand for.
    – nohat
    Aug 18 '10 at 14:56








  • 4




    It appears that the answer is: "there is no definitive answer to this question." Not exactly what I'd hoped, but as this was the only answer that responded to the question I asked, I guess that makes it the best.
    – Dori
    Aug 20 '10 at 4:04


















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The important point to remember is the following:



Written language is a representation of the spoken word.



Thus, the answer is "If the word following the indefinite article begins with a vowel sound, use an; if it begins with a consonant sound, use a."



In the case of initialisms and acronymns, use the exact rule above. For initialisms (e.g. "US"), the individual letters are pronounced. With what sound does the first pronounced letter begin? In the example "US", the first sound is /j/ (or "y"). This is a consonant sound, despite the letter "U" being a vowel; thus, you use a, as in a US dollar.



Contrast this with the initialism "RPM", which begins with the consonant "R" but is pronounced starting with /a/; thus, you use an, as in an RPM counter.






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  • I'd ++ this if I could... Provides an excellent tutorial on letter sounds as well. Very nifty! Thank you.
    – Shanimal
    Dec 20 '12 at 15:05




















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33
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The rule about the usage of a and an as indefinite articles is that an is used before a vocal sound.




  • A warranty (/ˈwɑːrənti/)

  • A user (/ˈjuːzər/)

  • A one-way (/ˈwən ˌweɪ/)

  • A man (/mæn/)

  • An angel (/ˈeɪnʤəl/)

  • An information (/ˌɪnfərˈmeɪʃən/)


When used before an acronym, the rule is still valid, but which article to use depends from how the acronym is pronounced (letter by letter, or as a word).




  • An MP3 (/ɛm pi θri/)

  • An RPG (/ɑːr pi ʤi/)

  • An FBI agent (/ɛf biː aɪ/)

  • A GPS device (/ʤi pi ɛs/)

  • A NASA employee (/ˈnæsə/)






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  • @kiamlaluno: Because it's hearing about a substandard English guide as if it were the be-all end-all that I'm sick of, not your answer.
    – chaos
    Feb 6 '11 at 8:27










  • @chaos: It doesn't seem that I am the only one to refer to the NOAD; your comments about me (and not to my question) make me think you are saying that I am the only one reporting what the NOAD says, which is not true at all. It also seems that your comments are against me, not against using the NOAD as a reference. I don't think the NOAD is a substandard English guide, and there are many people who would not say the NOAD is a substandard English guide.
    – kiamlaluno
    Feb 6 '11 at 8:57






  • 3




    @chaos: The distinction between acronym and initialism is a neologism that is not maintained by all writers or dictionaries. In fact, the Wikipedia page you linked cites The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language: "However, some linguists do not recognize a sharp distinction between acronyms and initialisms, but use the former term for both" and Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage: "A number of commentators […] believe that acronyms […] pronounceable as words. Dictionaries, however, do not make this distinction because writers in general do not." Etc.
    – ShreevatsaR
    Feb 6 '11 at 11:53






  • 5




    @chaos: As a linguist, I don't consider people's actual usage to be the "lowest common denominator". Why should a self-declared grammar authority's arbitrary decision about the meaning of a word be inherently more "correct" than the way people actually understand the word? Language often isn't precise. There are those who construct artificially precise categories for English lexical items (that don't reflect usage) and then view those who don't conform to those distinctions as being sloppy or poor in their command of English. I see that as a waste of time — we don't learn anything that way.
    – Kosmonaut
    Feb 8 '11 at 14:33








  • 2




    The "acronym"/"initialism" distinction may not be universally accepted, but it's still probably worth mentioning in an answer that distinguishes between the two types of pronunciation of "acronyms".
    – Mark Reed
    Dec 18 '16 at 16:37




















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Note: Some of this information may be extraneous, but take it for what you will!



In general, some acronyms represent nouns, others verbs or adjectives. If it represents the former, I see no problem with prefixing with an (in)definite article (a/an).



scuba is listed as a noun (lower-case) rather than an acronym in most dictionaries these days. It is of course derived from an acronym, but has evolved into a word in its own right (laser would be another example).



FAQ is an acronym, but is very commonly used as a noun - "a list of frequently-asked questions".



FUBAR has various definitions, but it's normally interpreted as an adjective (at least by the original military one).



Hence, I would happily prefix scuba/SCUBA with a/an, but definitely not FUBAR.



All these words begin with hard consonants, and thus should always be prefixed with a. Saying that, some people pronounce FAQ by spelling out its letters, in which case an is appropriate. I've never heard this done with the other two.






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  • 2




    When used in the military sense, "fubar" would not have a(n) before it. However, when used in other senses where it is a noun, it would be perfectly fine. It would also be fine to say, "Man, this is a fubar situation". As the article refers to the noun, "situation", which is being modified by the adjective, "fubar".
    – Vincent McNabb
    Aug 16 '10 at 9:26










  • @Vincent: Yeah, but that's slightly beside the point. I mentioned that fubar is used as an adjective, this 'a' is just applying to the 'situation'.
    – Noldorin
    Aug 16 '10 at 10:13










  • @Noldorin I agreed with your point and added extra information. You are welcome to edit your post and clarify.
    – Vincent McNabb
    Aug 16 '10 at 10:45






  • 5




    The question is which to use between "a" and "an", not whether to use them. The part of speech has nothing whatever to do with this question: it's all on the pronunciation.
    – Colin Fine
    Aug 16 '10 at 13:20










  • @Colin: The question was not clear to me. It seemed to be asking too different things. Just because I provided more info that may have been necessary, think twice whether that really deserves a down-vote.
    – Noldorin
    Aug 16 '10 at 13:33


















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18
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+50










Vincent McNabb is correct. If you want evidence based on "credible and/or official sources" that this is the rule followed in formal English writing, here is my suggestion.



I ran Google searches on Google Books only, meaning the bulk of the search will be against professionally edited and published works, not random web sites. I searched only for phrases where the pronunciation of the acronym was relatively clear and consistent: for example, nobody pronounces "SCUBA" as "Ess Cee Yew Bee Ay" and nobody pronounces "FBI" as "Fibbi."



Here are the number of hits in the Google Books database for:




  • "A SCUBA": 49,800

  • "An SCUBA": 56





  • "A FBI": 16,000

  • "An FBI": 343,000





  • "A NASA": 264,000

  • "An NASA": 16,500





  • "A RGB": 7,130

  • "An RGB": 33,800





  • "A UPC": 11,800

  • "An UPC": 436


In each case, basing the article on the initial sound, rather than on the initial letter, is more common; in most cases substantially more common.



As a control, I also looked at two acronyms where both the initial sound and the initial letter are consonants.




  • "A VPN": 50,100

  • "An VPN": 960





  • "A OCR": 9,380

  • "An OCR": 1,870,000


Because "An VPN" and "A OCR" are incorrect based on any possible rule, we can conclude that the positive results are grammatical, OCR, or search engine errors. This suggests that the minority viewpoint on SCUBA, FBI, NASA, RGB and UPC are also smaller than they appear.



We can conclude that, based on evidence of usage among published documents digitized by Google Books, the preferred rule is to base the article on how the intended pronunciation of the acronym would be spelled phonetically.






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    up vote
    15
    down vote













    It doesn't make any difference at all whether the article is modifying an acronym, an initialism, a proper noun, a French borrowing, or anything else. English article form is determined solely and entirely by pronunciation. And not at all by spelling.



    The rule for the pronunciation of articles in English -- definite and indefinite -- is that they have one form before consonants (note, real consonants -- sounds -- not "letters" in a writing system), and a different form before vowels (ditto).



    Hence, how you say it is what counts. Nothing else does.




    • Before vowels -- Indefinite an /ən/ and Definite the /ði/:
      an hour, an SOS, an A-to-Z selection, an EE degree, an idiot
      the hour, the SOS, the A-to-Z selection, the EE degree, the idiot (all pronounced /ði/)


    • Before consonants -- Indefinite a /ə/ and Definite the /ðə/:
      a URL, a snafu, a Charlie Foxtrot, a moron
      the URL, the snafu, the Charlie Foxtrot, the moron (all pronounced /ðə/)



    Most native English speakers never notice that there are two different pronunciations for the, but non-native English speakers need to know this immediately.






    share|improve this answer

















    • 1




      I believe there are three pronunciations.
      – Edwin Ashworth
      Mar 26 '14 at 16:55


















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    Like @Vincent McNabb said, it is a question of whether the word is used as an initialism (like HTML) or a acronym. When in doubt, as with FAQ, I would defer to the initialism form ("a FAQ") as it suggests in Wikipedia:




    There is also some disagreement as to what to call abbreviations that some speakers pronounce as letters and others pronounce as a word. For example, the terms URL and IRA can be pronounced as individual letters: /ˌjuːˌɑrˈɛl/ and /ˌaɪˌɑrˈeɪ/, respectively; or as a single word: /ˈɜrl/ and /ˈaɪərə/, respectively. Such constructions, however—regardless of how they are pronounced—if formed from initials, may be identified as initialisms without controversy.







    share|improve this answer




























      up vote
      3
      down vote













      Edit:
      I originally posted this answer to the question Is there an exceptional use of the article ‘a/an’? which has been merged with this one. The acronyms FTA and FC I refer to below are from that question.



      Original answer:
      It is exactly as you said: an is used before words beginning with a vowel sound, not necessarily a vowel letter.



      The acronyms you mentioned both begin with vowel sounds (/ɛf.tiˈeɪ̯/, /ɛfˈsiː/), so an is used before them. There are also words and acronyms that begin with a vowel letter, but not with a vowel sound: a UAV (/ju.eɪ̯ˈviː/), a union (/ˈjuːnjən/).



      It depends on the pronunciation of the following word (not its spelling) whether you use a or an.






      share|improve this answer























      • Thank you so much! Your detailed explanation and examples also helped me solve my curiosity :) Have a good day
        – Nayeong Kim
        Nov 12 at 10:28


















      up vote
      1
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      Compare with an umbrella uttered as /əmˈbrelə/, versus a university uttered as /juːnɪˈvɜːsɪtɪ/. Though both begin with the same written vowel, they have a different sound at the beginning. Umbrella has a schwa, while university has a 'you'. It is the sounds rather that the written vowel that drive the choice of 'a' or 'an'.



      It is similar with your question. "An Eff Tee Ay" or "an Eff See". It is the spoken'Eff', uttered with a vowel sound as /ef/, that drives the use of 'an' even though [f] is listed as a consonant.






      share|improve this answer























      • Your answer is rly informative and helpful :) Thx!!
        – Nayeong Kim
        Nov 12 at 10:36










      • You are welcome.
        – Roaring Fish
        Nov 12 at 10:47










      • You might have to add the link to the duplicate question. The post has since been merged with the much older question.
        – Mari-Lou A
        Nov 12 at 16:18










      protected by RegDwigнt Feb 4 '12 at 18:17



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      9 Answers
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      9 Answers
      9






      active

      oldest

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      up vote
      190
      down vote



      accepted










      It depends on whether the abbreviation is an acronym or an initialism. As "fubar" and "scuba" are usually pronounced as a word (making them acronyms), it would make sense to say "a fubar" and "a scuba diver". "FAQ" is a bit harder, because I have heard people say it like an initialism: "‹f›‹a›‹q›", while others pronounce it as an acronym /fæk/. Therefore, one should write either "a FAQ" or "an FAQ" depending on how that person pronounces it, ie, whether it is an acronym or an initialism.






      share|improve this answer



















      • 18




        +1 Exactly, it depends on how you pronounce these acronyms.
        – b.roth
        Aug 16 '10 at 8:21






      • 19




        Thanks for the teaching :-) Indeed there is a difference in the strict sense :-) So is CD-ROM an acronym or an initialism?
        – Vincent McNabb
        Aug 16 '10 at 9:08








      • 4




        @Dori - yes. Whichever way you write it, it will trip up some readers. The Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA) lists two results for "a FAQ", and one result for "an FAQ", so "a FAQ" is probably more common. Google also shows a preference for "a FAQ".
        – Vincent McNabb
        Aug 17 '10 at 0:12








      • 4




        The whole “ acronyms must be pronounced as words” distinction appears to be one that is only made by dictionaries. From what I can tell, any abbreviation that is made from initials is called an acronym if it is pronounced differently from what the initials stand for.
        – nohat
        Aug 18 '10 at 14:56








      • 4




        It appears that the answer is: "there is no definitive answer to this question." Not exactly what I'd hoped, but as this was the only answer that responded to the question I asked, I guess that makes it the best.
        – Dori
        Aug 20 '10 at 4:04















      up vote
      190
      down vote



      accepted










      It depends on whether the abbreviation is an acronym or an initialism. As "fubar" and "scuba" are usually pronounced as a word (making them acronyms), it would make sense to say "a fubar" and "a scuba diver". "FAQ" is a bit harder, because I have heard people say it like an initialism: "‹f›‹a›‹q›", while others pronounce it as an acronym /fæk/. Therefore, one should write either "a FAQ" or "an FAQ" depending on how that person pronounces it, ie, whether it is an acronym or an initialism.






      share|improve this answer



















      • 18




        +1 Exactly, it depends on how you pronounce these acronyms.
        – b.roth
        Aug 16 '10 at 8:21






      • 19




        Thanks for the teaching :-) Indeed there is a difference in the strict sense :-) So is CD-ROM an acronym or an initialism?
        – Vincent McNabb
        Aug 16 '10 at 9:08








      • 4




        @Dori - yes. Whichever way you write it, it will trip up some readers. The Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA) lists two results for "a FAQ", and one result for "an FAQ", so "a FAQ" is probably more common. Google also shows a preference for "a FAQ".
        – Vincent McNabb
        Aug 17 '10 at 0:12








      • 4




        The whole “ acronyms must be pronounced as words” distinction appears to be one that is only made by dictionaries. From what I can tell, any abbreviation that is made from initials is called an acronym if it is pronounced differently from what the initials stand for.
        – nohat
        Aug 18 '10 at 14:56








      • 4




        It appears that the answer is: "there is no definitive answer to this question." Not exactly what I'd hoped, but as this was the only answer that responded to the question I asked, I guess that makes it the best.
        – Dori
        Aug 20 '10 at 4:04













      up vote
      190
      down vote



      accepted







      up vote
      190
      down vote



      accepted






      It depends on whether the abbreviation is an acronym or an initialism. As "fubar" and "scuba" are usually pronounced as a word (making them acronyms), it would make sense to say "a fubar" and "a scuba diver". "FAQ" is a bit harder, because I have heard people say it like an initialism: "‹f›‹a›‹q›", while others pronounce it as an acronym /fæk/. Therefore, one should write either "a FAQ" or "an FAQ" depending on how that person pronounces it, ie, whether it is an acronym or an initialism.






      share|improve this answer














      It depends on whether the abbreviation is an acronym or an initialism. As "fubar" and "scuba" are usually pronounced as a word (making them acronyms), it would make sense to say "a fubar" and "a scuba diver". "FAQ" is a bit harder, because I have heard people say it like an initialism: "‹f›‹a›‹q›", while others pronounce it as an acronym /fæk/. Therefore, one should write either "a FAQ" or "an FAQ" depending on how that person pronounces it, ie, whether it is an acronym or an initialism.







      share|improve this answer














      share|improve this answer



      share|improve this answer








      edited Aug 16 '10 at 9:15

























      answered Aug 16 '10 at 8:15









      Vincent McNabb

      7,77433437




      7,77433437








      • 18




        +1 Exactly, it depends on how you pronounce these acronyms.
        – b.roth
        Aug 16 '10 at 8:21






      • 19




        Thanks for the teaching :-) Indeed there is a difference in the strict sense :-) So is CD-ROM an acronym or an initialism?
        – Vincent McNabb
        Aug 16 '10 at 9:08








      • 4




        @Dori - yes. Whichever way you write it, it will trip up some readers. The Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA) lists two results for "a FAQ", and one result for "an FAQ", so "a FAQ" is probably more common. Google also shows a preference for "a FAQ".
        – Vincent McNabb
        Aug 17 '10 at 0:12








      • 4




        The whole “ acronyms must be pronounced as words” distinction appears to be one that is only made by dictionaries. From what I can tell, any abbreviation that is made from initials is called an acronym if it is pronounced differently from what the initials stand for.
        – nohat
        Aug 18 '10 at 14:56








      • 4




        It appears that the answer is: "there is no definitive answer to this question." Not exactly what I'd hoped, but as this was the only answer that responded to the question I asked, I guess that makes it the best.
        – Dori
        Aug 20 '10 at 4:04














      • 18




        +1 Exactly, it depends on how you pronounce these acronyms.
        – b.roth
        Aug 16 '10 at 8:21






      • 19




        Thanks for the teaching :-) Indeed there is a difference in the strict sense :-) So is CD-ROM an acronym or an initialism?
        – Vincent McNabb
        Aug 16 '10 at 9:08








      • 4




        @Dori - yes. Whichever way you write it, it will trip up some readers. The Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA) lists two results for "a FAQ", and one result for "an FAQ", so "a FAQ" is probably more common. Google also shows a preference for "a FAQ".
        – Vincent McNabb
        Aug 17 '10 at 0:12








      • 4




        The whole “ acronyms must be pronounced as words” distinction appears to be one that is only made by dictionaries. From what I can tell, any abbreviation that is made from initials is called an acronym if it is pronounced differently from what the initials stand for.
        – nohat
        Aug 18 '10 at 14:56








      • 4




        It appears that the answer is: "there is no definitive answer to this question." Not exactly what I'd hoped, but as this was the only answer that responded to the question I asked, I guess that makes it the best.
        – Dori
        Aug 20 '10 at 4:04








      18




      18




      +1 Exactly, it depends on how you pronounce these acronyms.
      – b.roth
      Aug 16 '10 at 8:21




      +1 Exactly, it depends on how you pronounce these acronyms.
      – b.roth
      Aug 16 '10 at 8:21




      19




      19




      Thanks for the teaching :-) Indeed there is a difference in the strict sense :-) So is CD-ROM an acronym or an initialism?
      – Vincent McNabb
      Aug 16 '10 at 9:08






      Thanks for the teaching :-) Indeed there is a difference in the strict sense :-) So is CD-ROM an acronym or an initialism?
      – Vincent McNabb
      Aug 16 '10 at 9:08






      4




      4




      @Dori - yes. Whichever way you write it, it will trip up some readers. The Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA) lists two results for "a FAQ", and one result for "an FAQ", so "a FAQ" is probably more common. Google also shows a preference for "a FAQ".
      – Vincent McNabb
      Aug 17 '10 at 0:12






      @Dori - yes. Whichever way you write it, it will trip up some readers. The Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA) lists two results for "a FAQ", and one result for "an FAQ", so "a FAQ" is probably more common. Google also shows a preference for "a FAQ".
      – Vincent McNabb
      Aug 17 '10 at 0:12






      4




      4




      The whole “ acronyms must be pronounced as words” distinction appears to be one that is only made by dictionaries. From what I can tell, any abbreviation that is made from initials is called an acronym if it is pronounced differently from what the initials stand for.
      – nohat
      Aug 18 '10 at 14:56






      The whole “ acronyms must be pronounced as words” distinction appears to be one that is only made by dictionaries. From what I can tell, any abbreviation that is made from initials is called an acronym if it is pronounced differently from what the initials stand for.
      – nohat
      Aug 18 '10 at 14:56






      4




      4




      It appears that the answer is: "there is no definitive answer to this question." Not exactly what I'd hoped, but as this was the only answer that responded to the question I asked, I guess that makes it the best.
      – Dori
      Aug 20 '10 at 4:04




      It appears that the answer is: "there is no definitive answer to this question." Not exactly what I'd hoped, but as this was the only answer that responded to the question I asked, I guess that makes it the best.
      – Dori
      Aug 20 '10 at 4:04












      up vote
      108
      down vote













      The important point to remember is the following:



      Written language is a representation of the spoken word.



      Thus, the answer is "If the word following the indefinite article begins with a vowel sound, use an; if it begins with a consonant sound, use a."



      In the case of initialisms and acronymns, use the exact rule above. For initialisms (e.g. "US"), the individual letters are pronounced. With what sound does the first pronounced letter begin? In the example "US", the first sound is /j/ (or "y"). This is a consonant sound, despite the letter "U" being a vowel; thus, you use a, as in a US dollar.



      Contrast this with the initialism "RPM", which begins with the consonant "R" but is pronounced starting with /a/; thus, you use an, as in an RPM counter.






      share|improve this answer





















      • I'd ++ this if I could... Provides an excellent tutorial on letter sounds as well. Very nifty! Thank you.
        – Shanimal
        Dec 20 '12 at 15:05

















      up vote
      108
      down vote













      The important point to remember is the following:



      Written language is a representation of the spoken word.



      Thus, the answer is "If the word following the indefinite article begins with a vowel sound, use an; if it begins with a consonant sound, use a."



      In the case of initialisms and acronymns, use the exact rule above. For initialisms (e.g. "US"), the individual letters are pronounced. With what sound does the first pronounced letter begin? In the example "US", the first sound is /j/ (or "y"). This is a consonant sound, despite the letter "U" being a vowel; thus, you use a, as in a US dollar.



      Contrast this with the initialism "RPM", which begins with the consonant "R" but is pronounced starting with /a/; thus, you use an, as in an RPM counter.






      share|improve this answer





















      • I'd ++ this if I could... Provides an excellent tutorial on letter sounds as well. Very nifty! Thank you.
        – Shanimal
        Dec 20 '12 at 15:05















      up vote
      108
      down vote










      up vote
      108
      down vote









      The important point to remember is the following:



      Written language is a representation of the spoken word.



      Thus, the answer is "If the word following the indefinite article begins with a vowel sound, use an; if it begins with a consonant sound, use a."



      In the case of initialisms and acronymns, use the exact rule above. For initialisms (e.g. "US"), the individual letters are pronounced. With what sound does the first pronounced letter begin? In the example "US", the first sound is /j/ (or "y"). This is a consonant sound, despite the letter "U" being a vowel; thus, you use a, as in a US dollar.



      Contrast this with the initialism "RPM", which begins with the consonant "R" but is pronounced starting with /a/; thus, you use an, as in an RPM counter.






      share|improve this answer












      The important point to remember is the following:



      Written language is a representation of the spoken word.



      Thus, the answer is "If the word following the indefinite article begins with a vowel sound, use an; if it begins with a consonant sound, use a."



      In the case of initialisms and acronymns, use the exact rule above. For initialisms (e.g. "US"), the individual letters are pronounced. With what sound does the first pronounced letter begin? In the example "US", the first sound is /j/ (or "y"). This is a consonant sound, despite the letter "U" being a vowel; thus, you use a, as in a US dollar.



      Contrast this with the initialism "RPM", which begins with the consonant "R" but is pronounced starting with /a/; thus, you use an, as in an RPM counter.







      share|improve this answer












      share|improve this answer



      share|improve this answer










      answered Feb 3 '12 at 19:55









      Spoxjox

      1,6061114




      1,6061114












      • I'd ++ this if I could... Provides an excellent tutorial on letter sounds as well. Very nifty! Thank you.
        – Shanimal
        Dec 20 '12 at 15:05




















      • I'd ++ this if I could... Provides an excellent tutorial on letter sounds as well. Very nifty! Thank you.
        – Shanimal
        Dec 20 '12 at 15:05


















      I'd ++ this if I could... Provides an excellent tutorial on letter sounds as well. Very nifty! Thank you.
      – Shanimal
      Dec 20 '12 at 15:05






      I'd ++ this if I could... Provides an excellent tutorial on letter sounds as well. Very nifty! Thank you.
      – Shanimal
      Dec 20 '12 at 15:05












      up vote
      33
      down vote













      The rule about the usage of a and an as indefinite articles is that an is used before a vocal sound.




      • A warranty (/ˈwɑːrənti/)

      • A user (/ˈjuːzər/)

      • A one-way (/ˈwən ˌweɪ/)

      • A man (/mæn/)

      • An angel (/ˈeɪnʤəl/)

      • An information (/ˌɪnfərˈmeɪʃən/)


      When used before an acronym, the rule is still valid, but which article to use depends from how the acronym is pronounced (letter by letter, or as a word).




      • An MP3 (/ɛm pi θri/)

      • An RPG (/ɑːr pi ʤi/)

      • An FBI agent (/ɛf biː aɪ/)

      • A GPS device (/ʤi pi ɛs/)

      • A NASA employee (/ˈnæsə/)






      share|improve this answer























      • @kiamlaluno: Because it's hearing about a substandard English guide as if it were the be-all end-all that I'm sick of, not your answer.
        – chaos
        Feb 6 '11 at 8:27










      • @chaos: It doesn't seem that I am the only one to refer to the NOAD; your comments about me (and not to my question) make me think you are saying that I am the only one reporting what the NOAD says, which is not true at all. It also seems that your comments are against me, not against using the NOAD as a reference. I don't think the NOAD is a substandard English guide, and there are many people who would not say the NOAD is a substandard English guide.
        – kiamlaluno
        Feb 6 '11 at 8:57






      • 3




        @chaos: The distinction between acronym and initialism is a neologism that is not maintained by all writers or dictionaries. In fact, the Wikipedia page you linked cites The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language: "However, some linguists do not recognize a sharp distinction between acronyms and initialisms, but use the former term for both" and Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage: "A number of commentators […] believe that acronyms […] pronounceable as words. Dictionaries, however, do not make this distinction because writers in general do not." Etc.
        – ShreevatsaR
        Feb 6 '11 at 11:53






      • 5




        @chaos: As a linguist, I don't consider people's actual usage to be the "lowest common denominator". Why should a self-declared grammar authority's arbitrary decision about the meaning of a word be inherently more "correct" than the way people actually understand the word? Language often isn't precise. There are those who construct artificially precise categories for English lexical items (that don't reflect usage) and then view those who don't conform to those distinctions as being sloppy or poor in their command of English. I see that as a waste of time — we don't learn anything that way.
        – Kosmonaut
        Feb 8 '11 at 14:33








      • 2




        The "acronym"/"initialism" distinction may not be universally accepted, but it's still probably worth mentioning in an answer that distinguishes between the two types of pronunciation of "acronyms".
        – Mark Reed
        Dec 18 '16 at 16:37

















      up vote
      33
      down vote













      The rule about the usage of a and an as indefinite articles is that an is used before a vocal sound.




      • A warranty (/ˈwɑːrənti/)

      • A user (/ˈjuːzər/)

      • A one-way (/ˈwən ˌweɪ/)

      • A man (/mæn/)

      • An angel (/ˈeɪnʤəl/)

      • An information (/ˌɪnfərˈmeɪʃən/)


      When used before an acronym, the rule is still valid, but which article to use depends from how the acronym is pronounced (letter by letter, or as a word).




      • An MP3 (/ɛm pi θri/)

      • An RPG (/ɑːr pi ʤi/)

      • An FBI agent (/ɛf biː aɪ/)

      • A GPS device (/ʤi pi ɛs/)

      • A NASA employee (/ˈnæsə/)






      share|improve this answer























      • @kiamlaluno: Because it's hearing about a substandard English guide as if it were the be-all end-all that I'm sick of, not your answer.
        – chaos
        Feb 6 '11 at 8:27










      • @chaos: It doesn't seem that I am the only one to refer to the NOAD; your comments about me (and not to my question) make me think you are saying that I am the only one reporting what the NOAD says, which is not true at all. It also seems that your comments are against me, not against using the NOAD as a reference. I don't think the NOAD is a substandard English guide, and there are many people who would not say the NOAD is a substandard English guide.
        – kiamlaluno
        Feb 6 '11 at 8:57






      • 3




        @chaos: The distinction between acronym and initialism is a neologism that is not maintained by all writers or dictionaries. In fact, the Wikipedia page you linked cites The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language: "However, some linguists do not recognize a sharp distinction between acronyms and initialisms, but use the former term for both" and Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage: "A number of commentators […] believe that acronyms […] pronounceable as words. Dictionaries, however, do not make this distinction because writers in general do not." Etc.
        – ShreevatsaR
        Feb 6 '11 at 11:53






      • 5




        @chaos: As a linguist, I don't consider people's actual usage to be the "lowest common denominator". Why should a self-declared grammar authority's arbitrary decision about the meaning of a word be inherently more "correct" than the way people actually understand the word? Language often isn't precise. There are those who construct artificially precise categories for English lexical items (that don't reflect usage) and then view those who don't conform to those distinctions as being sloppy or poor in their command of English. I see that as a waste of time — we don't learn anything that way.
        – Kosmonaut
        Feb 8 '11 at 14:33








      • 2




        The "acronym"/"initialism" distinction may not be universally accepted, but it's still probably worth mentioning in an answer that distinguishes between the two types of pronunciation of "acronyms".
        – Mark Reed
        Dec 18 '16 at 16:37















      up vote
      33
      down vote










      up vote
      33
      down vote









      The rule about the usage of a and an as indefinite articles is that an is used before a vocal sound.




      • A warranty (/ˈwɑːrənti/)

      • A user (/ˈjuːzər/)

      • A one-way (/ˈwən ˌweɪ/)

      • A man (/mæn/)

      • An angel (/ˈeɪnʤəl/)

      • An information (/ˌɪnfərˈmeɪʃən/)


      When used before an acronym, the rule is still valid, but which article to use depends from how the acronym is pronounced (letter by letter, or as a word).




      • An MP3 (/ɛm pi θri/)

      • An RPG (/ɑːr pi ʤi/)

      • An FBI agent (/ɛf biː aɪ/)

      • A GPS device (/ʤi pi ɛs/)

      • A NASA employee (/ˈnæsə/)






      share|improve this answer














      The rule about the usage of a and an as indefinite articles is that an is used before a vocal sound.




      • A warranty (/ˈwɑːrənti/)

      • A user (/ˈjuːzər/)

      • A one-way (/ˈwən ˌweɪ/)

      • A man (/mæn/)

      • An angel (/ˈeɪnʤəl/)

      • An information (/ˌɪnfərˈmeɪʃən/)


      When used before an acronym, the rule is still valid, but which article to use depends from how the acronym is pronounced (letter by letter, or as a word).




      • An MP3 (/ɛm pi θri/)

      • An RPG (/ɑːr pi ʤi/)

      • An FBI agent (/ɛf biː aɪ/)

      • A GPS device (/ʤi pi ɛs/)

      • A NASA employee (/ˈnæsə/)







      share|improve this answer














      share|improve this answer



      share|improve this answer








      edited Jun 9 '13 at 22:33

























      answered Feb 6 '11 at 4:54









      kiamlaluno

      43.4k56180295




      43.4k56180295












      • @kiamlaluno: Because it's hearing about a substandard English guide as if it were the be-all end-all that I'm sick of, not your answer.
        – chaos
        Feb 6 '11 at 8:27










      • @chaos: It doesn't seem that I am the only one to refer to the NOAD; your comments about me (and not to my question) make me think you are saying that I am the only one reporting what the NOAD says, which is not true at all. It also seems that your comments are against me, not against using the NOAD as a reference. I don't think the NOAD is a substandard English guide, and there are many people who would not say the NOAD is a substandard English guide.
        – kiamlaluno
        Feb 6 '11 at 8:57






      • 3




        @chaos: The distinction between acronym and initialism is a neologism that is not maintained by all writers or dictionaries. In fact, the Wikipedia page you linked cites The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language: "However, some linguists do not recognize a sharp distinction between acronyms and initialisms, but use the former term for both" and Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage: "A number of commentators […] believe that acronyms […] pronounceable as words. Dictionaries, however, do not make this distinction because writers in general do not." Etc.
        – ShreevatsaR
        Feb 6 '11 at 11:53






      • 5




        @chaos: As a linguist, I don't consider people's actual usage to be the "lowest common denominator". Why should a self-declared grammar authority's arbitrary decision about the meaning of a word be inherently more "correct" than the way people actually understand the word? Language often isn't precise. There are those who construct artificially precise categories for English lexical items (that don't reflect usage) and then view those who don't conform to those distinctions as being sloppy or poor in their command of English. I see that as a waste of time — we don't learn anything that way.
        – Kosmonaut
        Feb 8 '11 at 14:33








      • 2




        The "acronym"/"initialism" distinction may not be universally accepted, but it's still probably worth mentioning in an answer that distinguishes between the two types of pronunciation of "acronyms".
        – Mark Reed
        Dec 18 '16 at 16:37




















      • @kiamlaluno: Because it's hearing about a substandard English guide as if it were the be-all end-all that I'm sick of, not your answer.
        – chaos
        Feb 6 '11 at 8:27










      • @chaos: It doesn't seem that I am the only one to refer to the NOAD; your comments about me (and not to my question) make me think you are saying that I am the only one reporting what the NOAD says, which is not true at all. It also seems that your comments are against me, not against using the NOAD as a reference. I don't think the NOAD is a substandard English guide, and there are many people who would not say the NOAD is a substandard English guide.
        – kiamlaluno
        Feb 6 '11 at 8:57






      • 3




        @chaos: The distinction between acronym and initialism is a neologism that is not maintained by all writers or dictionaries. In fact, the Wikipedia page you linked cites The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language: "However, some linguists do not recognize a sharp distinction between acronyms and initialisms, but use the former term for both" and Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage: "A number of commentators […] believe that acronyms […] pronounceable as words. Dictionaries, however, do not make this distinction because writers in general do not." Etc.
        – ShreevatsaR
        Feb 6 '11 at 11:53






      • 5




        @chaos: As a linguist, I don't consider people's actual usage to be the "lowest common denominator". Why should a self-declared grammar authority's arbitrary decision about the meaning of a word be inherently more "correct" than the way people actually understand the word? Language often isn't precise. There are those who construct artificially precise categories for English lexical items (that don't reflect usage) and then view those who don't conform to those distinctions as being sloppy or poor in their command of English. I see that as a waste of time — we don't learn anything that way.
        – Kosmonaut
        Feb 8 '11 at 14:33








      • 2




        The "acronym"/"initialism" distinction may not be universally accepted, but it's still probably worth mentioning in an answer that distinguishes between the two types of pronunciation of "acronyms".
        – Mark Reed
        Dec 18 '16 at 16:37


















      @kiamlaluno: Because it's hearing about a substandard English guide as if it were the be-all end-all that I'm sick of, not your answer.
      – chaos
      Feb 6 '11 at 8:27




      @kiamlaluno: Because it's hearing about a substandard English guide as if it were the be-all end-all that I'm sick of, not your answer.
      – chaos
      Feb 6 '11 at 8:27












      @chaos: It doesn't seem that I am the only one to refer to the NOAD; your comments about me (and not to my question) make me think you are saying that I am the only one reporting what the NOAD says, which is not true at all. It also seems that your comments are against me, not against using the NOAD as a reference. I don't think the NOAD is a substandard English guide, and there are many people who would not say the NOAD is a substandard English guide.
      – kiamlaluno
      Feb 6 '11 at 8:57




      @chaos: It doesn't seem that I am the only one to refer to the NOAD; your comments about me (and not to my question) make me think you are saying that I am the only one reporting what the NOAD says, which is not true at all. It also seems that your comments are against me, not against using the NOAD as a reference. I don't think the NOAD is a substandard English guide, and there are many people who would not say the NOAD is a substandard English guide.
      – kiamlaluno
      Feb 6 '11 at 8:57




      3




      3




      @chaos: The distinction between acronym and initialism is a neologism that is not maintained by all writers or dictionaries. In fact, the Wikipedia page you linked cites The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language: "However, some linguists do not recognize a sharp distinction between acronyms and initialisms, but use the former term for both" and Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage: "A number of commentators […] believe that acronyms […] pronounceable as words. Dictionaries, however, do not make this distinction because writers in general do not." Etc.
      – ShreevatsaR
      Feb 6 '11 at 11:53




      @chaos: The distinction between acronym and initialism is a neologism that is not maintained by all writers or dictionaries. In fact, the Wikipedia page you linked cites The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language: "However, some linguists do not recognize a sharp distinction between acronyms and initialisms, but use the former term for both" and Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage: "A number of commentators […] believe that acronyms […] pronounceable as words. Dictionaries, however, do not make this distinction because writers in general do not." Etc.
      – ShreevatsaR
      Feb 6 '11 at 11:53




      5




      5




      @chaos: As a linguist, I don't consider people's actual usage to be the "lowest common denominator". Why should a self-declared grammar authority's arbitrary decision about the meaning of a word be inherently more "correct" than the way people actually understand the word? Language often isn't precise. There are those who construct artificially precise categories for English lexical items (that don't reflect usage) and then view those who don't conform to those distinctions as being sloppy or poor in their command of English. I see that as a waste of time — we don't learn anything that way.
      – Kosmonaut
      Feb 8 '11 at 14:33






      @chaos: As a linguist, I don't consider people's actual usage to be the "lowest common denominator". Why should a self-declared grammar authority's arbitrary decision about the meaning of a word be inherently more "correct" than the way people actually understand the word? Language often isn't precise. There are those who construct artificially precise categories for English lexical items (that don't reflect usage) and then view those who don't conform to those distinctions as being sloppy or poor in their command of English. I see that as a waste of time — we don't learn anything that way.
      – Kosmonaut
      Feb 8 '11 at 14:33






      2




      2




      The "acronym"/"initialism" distinction may not be universally accepted, but it's still probably worth mentioning in an answer that distinguishes between the two types of pronunciation of "acronyms".
      – Mark Reed
      Dec 18 '16 at 16:37






      The "acronym"/"initialism" distinction may not be universally accepted, but it's still probably worth mentioning in an answer that distinguishes between the two types of pronunciation of "acronyms".
      – Mark Reed
      Dec 18 '16 at 16:37












      up vote
      22
      down vote













      Note: Some of this information may be extraneous, but take it for what you will!



      In general, some acronyms represent nouns, others verbs or adjectives. If it represents the former, I see no problem with prefixing with an (in)definite article (a/an).



      scuba is listed as a noun (lower-case) rather than an acronym in most dictionaries these days. It is of course derived from an acronym, but has evolved into a word in its own right (laser would be another example).



      FAQ is an acronym, but is very commonly used as a noun - "a list of frequently-asked questions".



      FUBAR has various definitions, but it's normally interpreted as an adjective (at least by the original military one).



      Hence, I would happily prefix scuba/SCUBA with a/an, but definitely not FUBAR.



      All these words begin with hard consonants, and thus should always be prefixed with a. Saying that, some people pronounce FAQ by spelling out its letters, in which case an is appropriate. I've never heard this done with the other two.






      share|improve this answer



















      • 2




        When used in the military sense, "fubar" would not have a(n) before it. However, when used in other senses where it is a noun, it would be perfectly fine. It would also be fine to say, "Man, this is a fubar situation". As the article refers to the noun, "situation", which is being modified by the adjective, "fubar".
        – Vincent McNabb
        Aug 16 '10 at 9:26










      • @Vincent: Yeah, but that's slightly beside the point. I mentioned that fubar is used as an adjective, this 'a' is just applying to the 'situation'.
        – Noldorin
        Aug 16 '10 at 10:13










      • @Noldorin I agreed with your point and added extra information. You are welcome to edit your post and clarify.
        – Vincent McNabb
        Aug 16 '10 at 10:45






      • 5




        The question is which to use between "a" and "an", not whether to use them. The part of speech has nothing whatever to do with this question: it's all on the pronunciation.
        – Colin Fine
        Aug 16 '10 at 13:20










      • @Colin: The question was not clear to me. It seemed to be asking too different things. Just because I provided more info that may have been necessary, think twice whether that really deserves a down-vote.
        – Noldorin
        Aug 16 '10 at 13:33















      up vote
      22
      down vote













      Note: Some of this information may be extraneous, but take it for what you will!



      In general, some acronyms represent nouns, others verbs or adjectives. If it represents the former, I see no problem with prefixing with an (in)definite article (a/an).



      scuba is listed as a noun (lower-case) rather than an acronym in most dictionaries these days. It is of course derived from an acronym, but has evolved into a word in its own right (laser would be another example).



      FAQ is an acronym, but is very commonly used as a noun - "a list of frequently-asked questions".



      FUBAR has various definitions, but it's normally interpreted as an adjective (at least by the original military one).



      Hence, I would happily prefix scuba/SCUBA with a/an, but definitely not FUBAR.



      All these words begin with hard consonants, and thus should always be prefixed with a. Saying that, some people pronounce FAQ by spelling out its letters, in which case an is appropriate. I've never heard this done with the other two.






      share|improve this answer



















      • 2




        When used in the military sense, "fubar" would not have a(n) before it. However, when used in other senses where it is a noun, it would be perfectly fine. It would also be fine to say, "Man, this is a fubar situation". As the article refers to the noun, "situation", which is being modified by the adjective, "fubar".
        – Vincent McNabb
        Aug 16 '10 at 9:26










      • @Vincent: Yeah, but that's slightly beside the point. I mentioned that fubar is used as an adjective, this 'a' is just applying to the 'situation'.
        – Noldorin
        Aug 16 '10 at 10:13










      • @Noldorin I agreed with your point and added extra information. You are welcome to edit your post and clarify.
        – Vincent McNabb
        Aug 16 '10 at 10:45






      • 5




        The question is which to use between "a" and "an", not whether to use them. The part of speech has nothing whatever to do with this question: it's all on the pronunciation.
        – Colin Fine
        Aug 16 '10 at 13:20










      • @Colin: The question was not clear to me. It seemed to be asking too different things. Just because I provided more info that may have been necessary, think twice whether that really deserves a down-vote.
        – Noldorin
        Aug 16 '10 at 13:33













      up vote
      22
      down vote










      up vote
      22
      down vote









      Note: Some of this information may be extraneous, but take it for what you will!



      In general, some acronyms represent nouns, others verbs or adjectives. If it represents the former, I see no problem with prefixing with an (in)definite article (a/an).



      scuba is listed as a noun (lower-case) rather than an acronym in most dictionaries these days. It is of course derived from an acronym, but has evolved into a word in its own right (laser would be another example).



      FAQ is an acronym, but is very commonly used as a noun - "a list of frequently-asked questions".



      FUBAR has various definitions, but it's normally interpreted as an adjective (at least by the original military one).



      Hence, I would happily prefix scuba/SCUBA with a/an, but definitely not FUBAR.



      All these words begin with hard consonants, and thus should always be prefixed with a. Saying that, some people pronounce FAQ by spelling out its letters, in which case an is appropriate. I've never heard this done with the other two.






      share|improve this answer














      Note: Some of this information may be extraneous, but take it for what you will!



      In general, some acronyms represent nouns, others verbs or adjectives. If it represents the former, I see no problem with prefixing with an (in)definite article (a/an).



      scuba is listed as a noun (lower-case) rather than an acronym in most dictionaries these days. It is of course derived from an acronym, but has evolved into a word in its own right (laser would be another example).



      FAQ is an acronym, but is very commonly used as a noun - "a list of frequently-asked questions".



      FUBAR has various definitions, but it's normally interpreted as an adjective (at least by the original military one).



      Hence, I would happily prefix scuba/SCUBA with a/an, but definitely not FUBAR.



      All these words begin with hard consonants, and thus should always be prefixed with a. Saying that, some people pronounce FAQ by spelling out its letters, in which case an is appropriate. I've never heard this done with the other two.







      share|improve this answer














      share|improve this answer



      share|improve this answer








      edited Aug 18 '10 at 8:31

























      answered Aug 16 '10 at 8:19









      Noldorin

      10.5k24559




      10.5k24559








      • 2




        When used in the military sense, "fubar" would not have a(n) before it. However, when used in other senses where it is a noun, it would be perfectly fine. It would also be fine to say, "Man, this is a fubar situation". As the article refers to the noun, "situation", which is being modified by the adjective, "fubar".
        – Vincent McNabb
        Aug 16 '10 at 9:26










      • @Vincent: Yeah, but that's slightly beside the point. I mentioned that fubar is used as an adjective, this 'a' is just applying to the 'situation'.
        – Noldorin
        Aug 16 '10 at 10:13










      • @Noldorin I agreed with your point and added extra information. You are welcome to edit your post and clarify.
        – Vincent McNabb
        Aug 16 '10 at 10:45






      • 5




        The question is which to use between "a" and "an", not whether to use them. The part of speech has nothing whatever to do with this question: it's all on the pronunciation.
        – Colin Fine
        Aug 16 '10 at 13:20










      • @Colin: The question was not clear to me. It seemed to be asking too different things. Just because I provided more info that may have been necessary, think twice whether that really deserves a down-vote.
        – Noldorin
        Aug 16 '10 at 13:33














      • 2




        When used in the military sense, "fubar" would not have a(n) before it. However, when used in other senses where it is a noun, it would be perfectly fine. It would also be fine to say, "Man, this is a fubar situation". As the article refers to the noun, "situation", which is being modified by the adjective, "fubar".
        – Vincent McNabb
        Aug 16 '10 at 9:26










      • @Vincent: Yeah, but that's slightly beside the point. I mentioned that fubar is used as an adjective, this 'a' is just applying to the 'situation'.
        – Noldorin
        Aug 16 '10 at 10:13










      • @Noldorin I agreed with your point and added extra information. You are welcome to edit your post and clarify.
        – Vincent McNabb
        Aug 16 '10 at 10:45






      • 5




        The question is which to use between "a" and "an", not whether to use them. The part of speech has nothing whatever to do with this question: it's all on the pronunciation.
        – Colin Fine
        Aug 16 '10 at 13:20










      • @Colin: The question was not clear to me. It seemed to be asking too different things. Just because I provided more info that may have been necessary, think twice whether that really deserves a down-vote.
        – Noldorin
        Aug 16 '10 at 13:33








      2




      2




      When used in the military sense, "fubar" would not have a(n) before it. However, when used in other senses where it is a noun, it would be perfectly fine. It would also be fine to say, "Man, this is a fubar situation". As the article refers to the noun, "situation", which is being modified by the adjective, "fubar".
      – Vincent McNabb
      Aug 16 '10 at 9:26




      When used in the military sense, "fubar" would not have a(n) before it. However, when used in other senses where it is a noun, it would be perfectly fine. It would also be fine to say, "Man, this is a fubar situation". As the article refers to the noun, "situation", which is being modified by the adjective, "fubar".
      – Vincent McNabb
      Aug 16 '10 at 9:26












      @Vincent: Yeah, but that's slightly beside the point. I mentioned that fubar is used as an adjective, this 'a' is just applying to the 'situation'.
      – Noldorin
      Aug 16 '10 at 10:13




      @Vincent: Yeah, but that's slightly beside the point. I mentioned that fubar is used as an adjective, this 'a' is just applying to the 'situation'.
      – Noldorin
      Aug 16 '10 at 10:13












      @Noldorin I agreed with your point and added extra information. You are welcome to edit your post and clarify.
      – Vincent McNabb
      Aug 16 '10 at 10:45




      @Noldorin I agreed with your point and added extra information. You are welcome to edit your post and clarify.
      – Vincent McNabb
      Aug 16 '10 at 10:45




      5




      5




      The question is which to use between "a" and "an", not whether to use them. The part of speech has nothing whatever to do with this question: it's all on the pronunciation.
      – Colin Fine
      Aug 16 '10 at 13:20




      The question is which to use between "a" and "an", not whether to use them. The part of speech has nothing whatever to do with this question: it's all on the pronunciation.
      – Colin Fine
      Aug 16 '10 at 13:20












      @Colin: The question was not clear to me. It seemed to be asking too different things. Just because I provided more info that may have been necessary, think twice whether that really deserves a down-vote.
      – Noldorin
      Aug 16 '10 at 13:33




      @Colin: The question was not clear to me. It seemed to be asking too different things. Just because I provided more info that may have been necessary, think twice whether that really deserves a down-vote.
      – Noldorin
      Aug 16 '10 at 13:33










      up vote
      18
      down vote



      +50










      Vincent McNabb is correct. If you want evidence based on "credible and/or official sources" that this is the rule followed in formal English writing, here is my suggestion.



      I ran Google searches on Google Books only, meaning the bulk of the search will be against professionally edited and published works, not random web sites. I searched only for phrases where the pronunciation of the acronym was relatively clear and consistent: for example, nobody pronounces "SCUBA" as "Ess Cee Yew Bee Ay" and nobody pronounces "FBI" as "Fibbi."



      Here are the number of hits in the Google Books database for:




      • "A SCUBA": 49,800

      • "An SCUBA": 56





      • "A FBI": 16,000

      • "An FBI": 343,000





      • "A NASA": 264,000

      • "An NASA": 16,500





      • "A RGB": 7,130

      • "An RGB": 33,800





      • "A UPC": 11,800

      • "An UPC": 436


      In each case, basing the article on the initial sound, rather than on the initial letter, is more common; in most cases substantially more common.



      As a control, I also looked at two acronyms where both the initial sound and the initial letter are consonants.




      • "A VPN": 50,100

      • "An VPN": 960





      • "A OCR": 9,380

      • "An OCR": 1,870,000


      Because "An VPN" and "A OCR" are incorrect based on any possible rule, we can conclude that the positive results are grammatical, OCR, or search engine errors. This suggests that the minority viewpoint on SCUBA, FBI, NASA, RGB and UPC are also smaller than they appear.



      We can conclude that, based on evidence of usage among published documents digitized by Google Books, the preferred rule is to base the article on how the intended pronunciation of the acronym would be spelled phonetically.






      share|improve this answer

























        up vote
        18
        down vote



        +50










        Vincent McNabb is correct. If you want evidence based on "credible and/or official sources" that this is the rule followed in formal English writing, here is my suggestion.



        I ran Google searches on Google Books only, meaning the bulk of the search will be against professionally edited and published works, not random web sites. I searched only for phrases where the pronunciation of the acronym was relatively clear and consistent: for example, nobody pronounces "SCUBA" as "Ess Cee Yew Bee Ay" and nobody pronounces "FBI" as "Fibbi."



        Here are the number of hits in the Google Books database for:




        • "A SCUBA": 49,800

        • "An SCUBA": 56





        • "A FBI": 16,000

        • "An FBI": 343,000





        • "A NASA": 264,000

        • "An NASA": 16,500





        • "A RGB": 7,130

        • "An RGB": 33,800





        • "A UPC": 11,800

        • "An UPC": 436


        In each case, basing the article on the initial sound, rather than on the initial letter, is more common; in most cases substantially more common.



        As a control, I also looked at two acronyms where both the initial sound and the initial letter are consonants.




        • "A VPN": 50,100

        • "An VPN": 960





        • "A OCR": 9,380

        • "An OCR": 1,870,000


        Because "An VPN" and "A OCR" are incorrect based on any possible rule, we can conclude that the positive results are grammatical, OCR, or search engine errors. This suggests that the minority viewpoint on SCUBA, FBI, NASA, RGB and UPC are also smaller than they appear.



        We can conclude that, based on evidence of usage among published documents digitized by Google Books, the preferred rule is to base the article on how the intended pronunciation of the acronym would be spelled phonetically.






        share|improve this answer























          up vote
          18
          down vote



          +50







          up vote
          18
          down vote



          +50




          +50




          Vincent McNabb is correct. If you want evidence based on "credible and/or official sources" that this is the rule followed in formal English writing, here is my suggestion.



          I ran Google searches on Google Books only, meaning the bulk of the search will be against professionally edited and published works, not random web sites. I searched only for phrases where the pronunciation of the acronym was relatively clear and consistent: for example, nobody pronounces "SCUBA" as "Ess Cee Yew Bee Ay" and nobody pronounces "FBI" as "Fibbi."



          Here are the number of hits in the Google Books database for:




          • "A SCUBA": 49,800

          • "An SCUBA": 56





          • "A FBI": 16,000

          • "An FBI": 343,000





          • "A NASA": 264,000

          • "An NASA": 16,500





          • "A RGB": 7,130

          • "An RGB": 33,800





          • "A UPC": 11,800

          • "An UPC": 436


          In each case, basing the article on the initial sound, rather than on the initial letter, is more common; in most cases substantially more common.



          As a control, I also looked at two acronyms where both the initial sound and the initial letter are consonants.




          • "A VPN": 50,100

          • "An VPN": 960





          • "A OCR": 9,380

          • "An OCR": 1,870,000


          Because "An VPN" and "A OCR" are incorrect based on any possible rule, we can conclude that the positive results are grammatical, OCR, or search engine errors. This suggests that the minority viewpoint on SCUBA, FBI, NASA, RGB and UPC are also smaller than they appear.



          We can conclude that, based on evidence of usage among published documents digitized by Google Books, the preferred rule is to base the article on how the intended pronunciation of the acronym would be spelled phonetically.






          share|improve this answer












          Vincent McNabb is correct. If you want evidence based on "credible and/or official sources" that this is the rule followed in formal English writing, here is my suggestion.



          I ran Google searches on Google Books only, meaning the bulk of the search will be against professionally edited and published works, not random web sites. I searched only for phrases where the pronunciation of the acronym was relatively clear and consistent: for example, nobody pronounces "SCUBA" as "Ess Cee Yew Bee Ay" and nobody pronounces "FBI" as "Fibbi."



          Here are the number of hits in the Google Books database for:




          • "A SCUBA": 49,800

          • "An SCUBA": 56





          • "A FBI": 16,000

          • "An FBI": 343,000





          • "A NASA": 264,000

          • "An NASA": 16,500





          • "A RGB": 7,130

          • "An RGB": 33,800





          • "A UPC": 11,800

          • "An UPC": 436


          In each case, basing the article on the initial sound, rather than on the initial letter, is more common; in most cases substantially more common.



          As a control, I also looked at two acronyms where both the initial sound and the initial letter are consonants.




          • "A VPN": 50,100

          • "An VPN": 960





          • "A OCR": 9,380

          • "An OCR": 1,870,000


          Because "An VPN" and "A OCR" are incorrect based on any possible rule, we can conclude that the positive results are grammatical, OCR, or search engine errors. This suggests that the minority viewpoint on SCUBA, FBI, NASA, RGB and UPC are also smaller than they appear.



          We can conclude that, based on evidence of usage among published documents digitized by Google Books, the preferred rule is to base the article on how the intended pronunciation of the acronym would be spelled phonetically.







          share|improve this answer












          share|improve this answer



          share|improve this answer










          answered Apr 9 '14 at 18:16









          chapka

          3,98811222




          3,98811222






















              up vote
              15
              down vote













              It doesn't make any difference at all whether the article is modifying an acronym, an initialism, a proper noun, a French borrowing, or anything else. English article form is determined solely and entirely by pronunciation. And not at all by spelling.



              The rule for the pronunciation of articles in English -- definite and indefinite -- is that they have one form before consonants (note, real consonants -- sounds -- not "letters" in a writing system), and a different form before vowels (ditto).



              Hence, how you say it is what counts. Nothing else does.




              • Before vowels -- Indefinite an /ən/ and Definite the /ði/:
                an hour, an SOS, an A-to-Z selection, an EE degree, an idiot
                the hour, the SOS, the A-to-Z selection, the EE degree, the idiot (all pronounced /ði/)


              • Before consonants -- Indefinite a /ə/ and Definite the /ðə/:
                a URL, a snafu, a Charlie Foxtrot, a moron
                the URL, the snafu, the Charlie Foxtrot, the moron (all pronounced /ðə/)



              Most native English speakers never notice that there are two different pronunciations for the, but non-native English speakers need to know this immediately.






              share|improve this answer

















              • 1




                I believe there are three pronunciations.
                – Edwin Ashworth
                Mar 26 '14 at 16:55















              up vote
              15
              down vote













              It doesn't make any difference at all whether the article is modifying an acronym, an initialism, a proper noun, a French borrowing, or anything else. English article form is determined solely and entirely by pronunciation. And not at all by spelling.



              The rule for the pronunciation of articles in English -- definite and indefinite -- is that they have one form before consonants (note, real consonants -- sounds -- not "letters" in a writing system), and a different form before vowels (ditto).



              Hence, how you say it is what counts. Nothing else does.




              • Before vowels -- Indefinite an /ən/ and Definite the /ði/:
                an hour, an SOS, an A-to-Z selection, an EE degree, an idiot
                the hour, the SOS, the A-to-Z selection, the EE degree, the idiot (all pronounced /ði/)


              • Before consonants -- Indefinite a /ə/ and Definite the /ðə/:
                a URL, a snafu, a Charlie Foxtrot, a moron
                the URL, the snafu, the Charlie Foxtrot, the moron (all pronounced /ðə/)



              Most native English speakers never notice that there are two different pronunciations for the, but non-native English speakers need to know this immediately.






              share|improve this answer

















              • 1




                I believe there are three pronunciations.
                – Edwin Ashworth
                Mar 26 '14 at 16:55













              up vote
              15
              down vote










              up vote
              15
              down vote









              It doesn't make any difference at all whether the article is modifying an acronym, an initialism, a proper noun, a French borrowing, or anything else. English article form is determined solely and entirely by pronunciation. And not at all by spelling.



              The rule for the pronunciation of articles in English -- definite and indefinite -- is that they have one form before consonants (note, real consonants -- sounds -- not "letters" in a writing system), and a different form before vowels (ditto).



              Hence, how you say it is what counts. Nothing else does.




              • Before vowels -- Indefinite an /ən/ and Definite the /ði/:
                an hour, an SOS, an A-to-Z selection, an EE degree, an idiot
                the hour, the SOS, the A-to-Z selection, the EE degree, the idiot (all pronounced /ði/)


              • Before consonants -- Indefinite a /ə/ and Definite the /ðə/:
                a URL, a snafu, a Charlie Foxtrot, a moron
                the URL, the snafu, the Charlie Foxtrot, the moron (all pronounced /ðə/)



              Most native English speakers never notice that there are two different pronunciations for the, but non-native English speakers need to know this immediately.






              share|improve this answer












              It doesn't make any difference at all whether the article is modifying an acronym, an initialism, a proper noun, a French borrowing, or anything else. English article form is determined solely and entirely by pronunciation. And not at all by spelling.



              The rule for the pronunciation of articles in English -- definite and indefinite -- is that they have one form before consonants (note, real consonants -- sounds -- not "letters" in a writing system), and a different form before vowels (ditto).



              Hence, how you say it is what counts. Nothing else does.




              • Before vowels -- Indefinite an /ən/ and Definite the /ði/:
                an hour, an SOS, an A-to-Z selection, an EE degree, an idiot
                the hour, the SOS, the A-to-Z selection, the EE degree, the idiot (all pronounced /ði/)


              • Before consonants -- Indefinite a /ə/ and Definite the /ðə/:
                a URL, a snafu, a Charlie Foxtrot, a moron
                the URL, the snafu, the Charlie Foxtrot, the moron (all pronounced /ðə/)



              Most native English speakers never notice that there are two different pronunciations for the, but non-native English speakers need to know this immediately.







              share|improve this answer












              share|improve this answer



              share|improve this answer










              answered Apr 10 '13 at 22:57









              John Lawler

              84k6116328




              84k6116328








              • 1




                I believe there are three pronunciations.
                – Edwin Ashworth
                Mar 26 '14 at 16:55














              • 1




                I believe there are three pronunciations.
                – Edwin Ashworth
                Mar 26 '14 at 16:55








              1




              1




              I believe there are three pronunciations.
              – Edwin Ashworth
              Mar 26 '14 at 16:55




              I believe there are three pronunciations.
              – Edwin Ashworth
              Mar 26 '14 at 16:55










              up vote
              5
              down vote













              Like @Vincent McNabb said, it is a question of whether the word is used as an initialism (like HTML) or a acronym. When in doubt, as with FAQ, I would defer to the initialism form ("a FAQ") as it suggests in Wikipedia:




              There is also some disagreement as to what to call abbreviations that some speakers pronounce as letters and others pronounce as a word. For example, the terms URL and IRA can be pronounced as individual letters: /ˌjuːˌɑrˈɛl/ and /ˌaɪˌɑrˈeɪ/, respectively; or as a single word: /ˈɜrl/ and /ˈaɪərə/, respectively. Such constructions, however—regardless of how they are pronounced—if formed from initials, may be identified as initialisms without controversy.







              share|improve this answer

























                up vote
                5
                down vote













                Like @Vincent McNabb said, it is a question of whether the word is used as an initialism (like HTML) or a acronym. When in doubt, as with FAQ, I would defer to the initialism form ("a FAQ") as it suggests in Wikipedia:




                There is also some disagreement as to what to call abbreviations that some speakers pronounce as letters and others pronounce as a word. For example, the terms URL and IRA can be pronounced as individual letters: /ˌjuːˌɑrˈɛl/ and /ˌaɪˌɑrˈeɪ/, respectively; or as a single word: /ˈɜrl/ and /ˈaɪərə/, respectively. Such constructions, however—regardless of how they are pronounced—if formed from initials, may be identified as initialisms without controversy.







                share|improve this answer























                  up vote
                  5
                  down vote










                  up vote
                  5
                  down vote









                  Like @Vincent McNabb said, it is a question of whether the word is used as an initialism (like HTML) or a acronym. When in doubt, as with FAQ, I would defer to the initialism form ("a FAQ") as it suggests in Wikipedia:




                  There is also some disagreement as to what to call abbreviations that some speakers pronounce as letters and others pronounce as a word. For example, the terms URL and IRA can be pronounced as individual letters: /ˌjuːˌɑrˈɛl/ and /ˌaɪˌɑrˈeɪ/, respectively; or as a single word: /ˈɜrl/ and /ˈaɪərə/, respectively. Such constructions, however—regardless of how they are pronounced—if formed from initials, may be identified as initialisms without controversy.







                  share|improve this answer












                  Like @Vincent McNabb said, it is a question of whether the word is used as an initialism (like HTML) or a acronym. When in doubt, as with FAQ, I would defer to the initialism form ("a FAQ") as it suggests in Wikipedia:




                  There is also some disagreement as to what to call abbreviations that some speakers pronounce as letters and others pronounce as a word. For example, the terms URL and IRA can be pronounced as individual letters: /ˌjuːˌɑrˈɛl/ and /ˌaɪˌɑrˈeɪ/, respectively; or as a single word: /ˈɜrl/ and /ˈaɪərə/, respectively. Such constructions, however—regardless of how they are pronounced—if formed from initials, may be identified as initialisms without controversy.








                  share|improve this answer












                  share|improve this answer



                  share|improve this answer










                  answered Nov 7 '11 at 21:37









                  Lynn

                  16k54383




                  16k54383






















                      up vote
                      3
                      down vote













                      Edit:
                      I originally posted this answer to the question Is there an exceptional use of the article ‘a/an’? which has been merged with this one. The acronyms FTA and FC I refer to below are from that question.



                      Original answer:
                      It is exactly as you said: an is used before words beginning with a vowel sound, not necessarily a vowel letter.



                      The acronyms you mentioned both begin with vowel sounds (/ɛf.tiˈeɪ̯/, /ɛfˈsiː/), so an is used before them. There are also words and acronyms that begin with a vowel letter, but not with a vowel sound: a UAV (/ju.eɪ̯ˈviː/), a union (/ˈjuːnjən/).



                      It depends on the pronunciation of the following word (not its spelling) whether you use a or an.






                      share|improve this answer























                      • Thank you so much! Your detailed explanation and examples also helped me solve my curiosity :) Have a good day
                        – Nayeong Kim
                        Nov 12 at 10:28















                      up vote
                      3
                      down vote













                      Edit:
                      I originally posted this answer to the question Is there an exceptional use of the article ‘a/an’? which has been merged with this one. The acronyms FTA and FC I refer to below are from that question.



                      Original answer:
                      It is exactly as you said: an is used before words beginning with a vowel sound, not necessarily a vowel letter.



                      The acronyms you mentioned both begin with vowel sounds (/ɛf.tiˈeɪ̯/, /ɛfˈsiː/), so an is used before them. There are also words and acronyms that begin with a vowel letter, but not with a vowel sound: a UAV (/ju.eɪ̯ˈviː/), a union (/ˈjuːnjən/).



                      It depends on the pronunciation of the following word (not its spelling) whether you use a or an.






                      share|improve this answer























                      • Thank you so much! Your detailed explanation and examples also helped me solve my curiosity :) Have a good day
                        – Nayeong Kim
                        Nov 12 at 10:28













                      up vote
                      3
                      down vote










                      up vote
                      3
                      down vote









                      Edit:
                      I originally posted this answer to the question Is there an exceptional use of the article ‘a/an’? which has been merged with this one. The acronyms FTA and FC I refer to below are from that question.



                      Original answer:
                      It is exactly as you said: an is used before words beginning with a vowel sound, not necessarily a vowel letter.



                      The acronyms you mentioned both begin with vowel sounds (/ɛf.tiˈeɪ̯/, /ɛfˈsiː/), so an is used before them. There are also words and acronyms that begin with a vowel letter, but not with a vowel sound: a UAV (/ju.eɪ̯ˈviː/), a union (/ˈjuːnjən/).



                      It depends on the pronunciation of the following word (not its spelling) whether you use a or an.






                      share|improve this answer














                      Edit:
                      I originally posted this answer to the question Is there an exceptional use of the article ‘a/an’? which has been merged with this one. The acronyms FTA and FC I refer to below are from that question.



                      Original answer:
                      It is exactly as you said: an is used before words beginning with a vowel sound, not necessarily a vowel letter.



                      The acronyms you mentioned both begin with vowel sounds (/ɛf.tiˈeɪ̯/, /ɛfˈsiː/), so an is used before them. There are also words and acronyms that begin with a vowel letter, but not with a vowel sound: a UAV (/ju.eɪ̯ˈviː/), a union (/ˈjuːnjən/).



                      It depends on the pronunciation of the following word (not its spelling) whether you use a or an.







                      share|improve this answer














                      share|improve this answer



                      share|improve this answer








                      edited Nov 12 at 13:22

























                      answered Nov 12 at 10:24









                      Lukas G

                      1064




                      1064












                      • Thank you so much! Your detailed explanation and examples also helped me solve my curiosity :) Have a good day
                        – Nayeong Kim
                        Nov 12 at 10:28


















                      • Thank you so much! Your detailed explanation and examples also helped me solve my curiosity :) Have a good day
                        – Nayeong Kim
                        Nov 12 at 10:28
















                      Thank you so much! Your detailed explanation and examples also helped me solve my curiosity :) Have a good day
                      – Nayeong Kim
                      Nov 12 at 10:28




                      Thank you so much! Your detailed explanation and examples also helped me solve my curiosity :) Have a good day
                      – Nayeong Kim
                      Nov 12 at 10:28










                      up vote
                      1
                      down vote













                      Compare with an umbrella uttered as /əmˈbrelə/, versus a university uttered as /juːnɪˈvɜːsɪtɪ/. Though both begin with the same written vowel, they have a different sound at the beginning. Umbrella has a schwa, while university has a 'you'. It is the sounds rather that the written vowel that drive the choice of 'a' or 'an'.



                      It is similar with your question. "An Eff Tee Ay" or "an Eff See". It is the spoken'Eff', uttered with a vowel sound as /ef/, that drives the use of 'an' even though [f] is listed as a consonant.






                      share|improve this answer























                      • Your answer is rly informative and helpful :) Thx!!
                        – Nayeong Kim
                        Nov 12 at 10:36










                      • You are welcome.
                        – Roaring Fish
                        Nov 12 at 10:47










                      • You might have to add the link to the duplicate question. The post has since been merged with the much older question.
                        – Mari-Lou A
                        Nov 12 at 16:18















                      up vote
                      1
                      down vote













                      Compare with an umbrella uttered as /əmˈbrelə/, versus a university uttered as /juːnɪˈvɜːsɪtɪ/. Though both begin with the same written vowel, they have a different sound at the beginning. Umbrella has a schwa, while university has a 'you'. It is the sounds rather that the written vowel that drive the choice of 'a' or 'an'.



                      It is similar with your question. "An Eff Tee Ay" or "an Eff See". It is the spoken'Eff', uttered with a vowel sound as /ef/, that drives the use of 'an' even though [f] is listed as a consonant.






                      share|improve this answer























                      • Your answer is rly informative and helpful :) Thx!!
                        – Nayeong Kim
                        Nov 12 at 10:36










                      • You are welcome.
                        – Roaring Fish
                        Nov 12 at 10:47










                      • You might have to add the link to the duplicate question. The post has since been merged with the much older question.
                        – Mari-Lou A
                        Nov 12 at 16:18













                      up vote
                      1
                      down vote










                      up vote
                      1
                      down vote









                      Compare with an umbrella uttered as /əmˈbrelə/, versus a university uttered as /juːnɪˈvɜːsɪtɪ/. Though both begin with the same written vowel, they have a different sound at the beginning. Umbrella has a schwa, while university has a 'you'. It is the sounds rather that the written vowel that drive the choice of 'a' or 'an'.



                      It is similar with your question. "An Eff Tee Ay" or "an Eff See". It is the spoken'Eff', uttered with a vowel sound as /ef/, that drives the use of 'an' even though [f] is listed as a consonant.






                      share|improve this answer














                      Compare with an umbrella uttered as /əmˈbrelə/, versus a university uttered as /juːnɪˈvɜːsɪtɪ/. Though both begin with the same written vowel, they have a different sound at the beginning. Umbrella has a schwa, while university has a 'you'. It is the sounds rather that the written vowel that drive the choice of 'a' or 'an'.



                      It is similar with your question. "An Eff Tee Ay" or "an Eff See". It is the spoken'Eff', uttered with a vowel sound as /ef/, that drives the use of 'an' even though [f] is listed as a consonant.







                      share|improve this answer














                      share|improve this answer



                      share|improve this answer








                      edited Nov 12 at 10:46

























                      answered Nov 12 at 10:29









                      Roaring Fish

                      14.2k12353




                      14.2k12353












                      • Your answer is rly informative and helpful :) Thx!!
                        – Nayeong Kim
                        Nov 12 at 10:36










                      • You are welcome.
                        – Roaring Fish
                        Nov 12 at 10:47










                      • You might have to add the link to the duplicate question. The post has since been merged with the much older question.
                        – Mari-Lou A
                        Nov 12 at 16:18


















                      • Your answer is rly informative and helpful :) Thx!!
                        – Nayeong Kim
                        Nov 12 at 10:36










                      • You are welcome.
                        – Roaring Fish
                        Nov 12 at 10:47










                      • You might have to add the link to the duplicate question. The post has since been merged with the much older question.
                        – Mari-Lou A
                        Nov 12 at 16:18
















                      Your answer is rly informative and helpful :) Thx!!
                      – Nayeong Kim
                      Nov 12 at 10:36




                      Your answer is rly informative and helpful :) Thx!!
                      – Nayeong Kim
                      Nov 12 at 10:36












                      You are welcome.
                      – Roaring Fish
                      Nov 12 at 10:47




                      You are welcome.
                      – Roaring Fish
                      Nov 12 at 10:47












                      You might have to add the link to the duplicate question. The post has since been merged with the much older question.
                      – Mari-Lou A
                      Nov 12 at 16:18




                      You might have to add the link to the duplicate question. The post has since been merged with the much older question.
                      – Mari-Lou A
                      Nov 12 at 16:18





                      protected by RegDwigнt Feb 4 '12 at 18:17



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