# A or an? Why we say "an hour" but "a university"

- Updated: 2026-11-07
- Level: A1

## Quick answer

Go by the **first sound**, not the first letter. Use **an** before a vowel sound (*an apple, an hour*) and **a** before a consonant sound (*a book, a university*).

## Formula

an + vowel sound: an apple, an hour
a + consonant sound: a book, a university

## Examples

- **an** apple, **an** egg, **an** idea
- **a** book, **a** cat, **a** teacher

## Watch out for

- **Silent h → an:** an hour, an honest person. A spoken h takes a: *a house*.
- **U or eu sounding like "you" → a:** a university, a uniform, a European city.
- **Abbreviations → the letter's name:** an MBA ("em-bee-ay"), a UFO ("you-eff-oh").
- **Look at the very next word**, even an adjective: *a red apple*, *an old car*.

## Common mistakes

| Wrong | Right |
| --- | --- |
| ~~a~~ hour | **an** hour |
| ~~an~~ university | **a** university |
| ~~an~~ big apple | **a** big apple |

## Practice

- [Practise a or an (with answers)](https://hienglishquiz.com/grammar/a-and-an-a1)

## Lesson

- [Articles: A, An and The](https://hienglishquiz.com/grammar-lessons/articles-a-an-the)