Do you use "a" or "an" before acronyms / initialisms?
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
Solution 1:
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.
Solution 2:
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.