Do you use 'a' or 'an' before an abbreviation?

Answer 1

It depends on how you pronounce the abbreviation. You use "an" before a vowel sound, so if the abbreviation starts with a vowel sound, even if it does not start with a vowel, you would use "an" before it.

For example, you would say "an SUV", because you would pronounce this "an ess you vee"--the letter "s" is pronounced "ess", and that starts with a vowel sound. An abbreviation that starts with a consonant sound is CEO, so you would say "a CEO", because that is pronounced "a see ee oh".

Answer 2

Use 'a' or 'an' before an abbreviation based on the sound of the first letter in the abbreviation. If the first letter sounds like a consonant, use 'a'; if it sounds like a vowel, use 'an'. For example, "a UFO" (pronounced as "yoo-eff-oh") and "an MRI" (pronounced as "em-ar-eye").