Dictionary of English - a or an
a or an
A is used before consonants, an before a vowel sound. A comes before words that begin with a u, but are pronounced as though they began with a y: a union; a useful gadget. An comes before a silent h: an heir; an honour. Some people still use an before h in words from French, where the h was silent: an hotel. This is rather old-fashioned. There is no reason to use an before an h which is sounded.
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