Is it a or an hypothesis? I am not a native speaker (and not very language talented) so I would appreciate any explanation/rules.
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Use "a." As a rule, whenever the "h" is pronounced out loud, we use "a." Unfortunately, you have to consult a dictionary for each individual word to see whether the "h" is silent or pronounced, but it's usually pronounced.– hunterCommented Dec 20, 2013 at 16:16
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You should use a hypothesis; although a minority of native speakers say an hypothesis, that's a more complicated rule to learn, and if you use it you risk sounding like a pretentious British snob. See this question.– Peter ShorCommented Dec 20, 2013 at 16:17
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1This question has been asked many times before. Please search the site before asking. The "Frequent" tab under "Questions" is a good place to start. Thank you.– RegDwigнtCommented Dec 20, 2013 at 16:22
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British newsreaders (and I) say an historic.– Barrie EnglandCommented Dec 20, 2013 at 16:26
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1@RegDwigнt The 'Frequent tab under Questions' didn't show me anything at all...– DaPhilCommented Dec 20, 2013 at 17:19
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2 Answers
‘H’ represents a consonant sound, so we would expect ‘a hypothesis’, and that is what many say and write. However, where the stress in a word beginning with a sounded /h/ is on the second or subsequent syllable, some native speakers precede the word with ‘an’ rather than ‘a’, so you will also see and hear ‘an hypothesis’. But if you say and write ‘a hypothesis’, you will not be wrong.
answered Dec 20, 2013 at 16:19
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I believe Americans who use "an" usually say an ypothesis. The 'h' in an unaccented syllable is often dropped after a consonant (which "an" ends with). Commented Dec 20, 2013 at 16:20
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@PeterShor: Everyone using an will connect the two words and drop the h, I would say? Anistoric, anypothesis, anonour, aneir, anour... Commented Dec 20, 2013 at 16:23
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1@Cerberus: Your last three...there's no question, those words already start with a vowel not the glottal aspirate. No one says 'A hour'.– MitchCommented Dec 20, 2013 at 16:33
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@Mitch: My point is they are pronounced the same way if you use an. When you use an, the same pronunciation kicks in. Commented Dec 20, 2013 at 16:35
In US usage, words beginning with a silent h take an as if they began with a vowel
an honor
Words that begin with h in an accented or stressed syllable take a
a haircut
Words that begin with h in an unaccented (unstressed) syllable can take either
an historic occasion
a historic occasion
In the first version, following an, the h is often effectively silent, but both pronunciations are heard.
The use of a in this last case is much more common, and the use of an may be viewed by some as a bit pompous, but surely correct.
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