Why do we write 'He has an MA' and not ' a MA' even though MA does not begin with a vowel? Can anybody give me anymore examples like it? [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate:
Do you use “a” or “an” before acronyms?

Why do we write 'He has an MA' and not ' a MA' even though MA does not begin with a vowel? Can anybody give me anymore examples like it?


Solution 1:

We write "an MA" rather than "a MA" because the choice of article is decided by pronunciation and "M" is pronounced with an initial vowel sound.

Other examples:

  • an FTP transfer
  • an HMRC office
  • an L-plate
  • an MOT test
  • an NCP car-park
  • an RAC van
  • an SSD device
  • an X-Ray image
  • an MSc in Chemistry