Always remember this rule: “‘A’ is for consonant sounds, ‘An’ is for vowel sounds.”

Like we have consonants and vowels in the letters of the alphabets, we also have them in sounds.

Short thread. https://twitter.com/Chef_Kachi/status/1281300400419885058

To fully come to grips of this idea, you will have to under transcription.

When you google or check the dictionary for a word, you’d notice a set of words written in between two forward slashes. This is what is called a transcription.

It simply tells you how a word is pronounced using vowel and consonant sounds.

Google makes it easier because you have the voice prompt that helps with pronunciation.

See the word Holiday. It begins with a consonant letter and a consonant sound h in the transcription.

Going by the law, the correct article is ‘a’ because ‘a’ is for consonant sounds.

Let’s consider the word Hour which begins with a consonant letter but a vowel sound cause the h is silent.

See, the transcription begins with vowel sound a despite the presence of the consonant letter h.

‘An’ is for vowel sounds, so we say An hour.

And so it applies.

There is also the case of words that rather than having the first letter silenced and beginning with a different sound, there’s the introduction of a foreign sound in the transcription.

Let me show you.

Consider the words University and Universe.

Both begin with the vowel letter U. Their transcription however sees the introduction of the consonant sound J.

Going by the law, ‘A’ is for consonant sounds. We can then say, A University/Universe.

Hope this thread helps.

Feel free to oppose or further exemplify.

Thank you.