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Merriam-Webster seems to specifically disagree with you on both points: the usage of "a" vs "an" is based on the sound of the following word, and "hour" is prec

Merriam-Webster seems to specifically disagree with you on both points: the usage of "a" vs "an" is based on the sound of the following word, and "hour" is preceded by "an" since it sounds like a vowel despite starting with a consonant. > You should use a when the word that follows sounds like it begins with a consonant (‘a dog,’ ‘a balloon’). You should use an if the word that follows sounds like it begins with a vowel (‘an ant,’ ‘an elevator’). Remember that sometimes a word will begin with a vowel but it sounds like a consonant (‘a one-time deal’); in this case you should still use a, rather than an. And in some cases a word will start with a consonant but it sounds like a vowel (’an hour’); in this case you should still use an, rather than a. [1] [1]: https://www.merriam-webster.com/grammar/is-it-a-or-an https://www.merriam-webster.com/grammar/is-it-a-or-an

BobbyTables2 1mo ago
Of course there is the other can of worms of debating whether Y is a vowel or not. Also, “YouTube” sounds like it starts with “u” sound, despite starting with “y”. Maybe English is just broken. Words starting with a long “u” sound make me question the rule - different than other long vowels… Does one play “a ukulele” or “an ukulele”? We need an umpire to make the call (;->
- antonvs 1mo ago
  There isn’t really any debate about “Y” - it acts as a vowel in most cases, and as a consonant in some cases, particularly at the beginning of a word, as in “Youtube”. The “you” sound is a consonant sound, and that also answers the ukulele question: it’s “a ukelele”, because it’s the sound that matters here. Using a more familiar example might help illustrate this: we say “a user”, not “a user”; similarly, it’s “a European”, not “an European”. Here’s a good article about it: https://phonicshero.com/when-is-a-consonant-a-vowel-and-why/ https://phonicshero.com/when-is-a-consonant-a-vowel-and-why/
anenefan 1mo ago
That's interesting only for the fact I recall it being taught different or perhaps missed that all through school. Being based on sound brings yet another aspect of english into the nightmarish realm. My mind races to the many words around my locale and various circles of people I worked around where the lead vowel is silent / near silent ... words like articulate and yet aware that some do go to the effort to pronounce with a high emphasis on the lead vowel like they are were educated / lived elsewhere.

BobbyTables2 1mo ago

Of course there is the other can of worms of debating whether Y is a vowel or not. Also, “YouTube” sounds like it starts with “u” sound, despite starting with “y”. Maybe English is just broken. Words starting with a long “u” sound make me question the rule - different than other long vowels… Does one play “a ukulele” or “an ukulele”? We need an umpire to make the call (;->

antonvs 1mo ago
There isn’t really any debate about “Y” - it acts as a vowel in most cases, and as a consonant in some cases, particularly at the beginning of a word, as in “Youtube”. The “you” sound is a consonant sound, and that also answers the ukulele question: it’s “a ukelele”, because it’s the sound that matters here. Using a more familiar example might help illustrate this: we say “a user”, not “a user”; similarly, it’s “a European”, not “an European”. Here’s a good article about it: https://phonicshero.com/when-is-a-consonant-a-vowel-and-why/ https://phonicshero.com/when-is-a-consonant-a-vowel-and-why/

anenefan 1mo ago

That's interesting only for the fact I recall it being taught different or perhaps missed that all through school. Being based on sound brings yet another aspect of english into the nightmarish realm. My mind races to the many words around my locale and various circles of people I worked around where the lead vowel is silent / near silent ... words like articulate and yet aware that some do go to the effort to pronounce with a high emphasis on the lead vowel like they are were educated / lived elsewhere.