Is it supposed to be a HTML or an HTML [duplicate]

It depends on whether you say aitch or haitch.

  • An aitch tee em el page
  • A haitch tee em el page

The choice between a and an is determined by the initial sound, and not the initial letter, of the following word. Most people pronounce 'h' as 'aitch', making an appropriate. (I say 'most', because some people pronounce it as 'haitch'.)


An html (echh-tee-em-el) but a hyper text...
Similarly, an MBA but a Masters of Business....


"An HTML snippet" is correct. The reason we have two versions of the indefinite article ("a" and "an") is to help with pronunciation - what the French call liaison. "An" is used when the following noun begins with a vowel sound, so it would be perverse to use "a" simply because the next letter is a consonant. For the same reason "an hotel" used to be correct, as it was customary to drop the H.


When you read it aloud, it's "Aitch Tee Em El". The first sound is a vowel. So it should be "an HTML".