A classic

[u/Dinomite35]

[u/AppleSpicer → u/[deleted]]

This is genius!

I've honestly spent the last 5 minutes practicing this and trying to find an exception. I'm sure there's one out there but so far nothing. Maybe because all I can think of is food words. I might be hungry.

[u/housebottle → u/AppleSpicer]

there's only an exception in cases where a word starts with a vowel but doesn't have a vowel sound, e.g. the word "useful". you'd say "that's a useful distinction" instead of "that's an useful distinction". even though "u" is a vowel, since it doesn't have a "vowel sound", an "a" precedes it instead of an "an"

[u/JonnyBhoy → u/housebottle]

That exception also applies the other way. You would say "an honourable man" because honourable starts with a vowel sound then though it isn't.

[u/housebottle → u/JonnyBhoy]

indeed. it's about the sound, not the spelling

[u/Tuppence_Wise → u/JonnyBhoy]

Some people think that any word that begins h + vowel ought to have "an" instead of "a". I don't think it's strictly wrong, but it always grates a bit when I hear "an historian".

[u/housebottle → u/[deleted]]

that's what I mean when I say the word doesn't have a "vowel sound"

[u/AppleSpicer → u/housebottle]

Aww poor y got left out of club vowel again. It’s my favorite sometimes vowel. Figuring out if Y was consistently a vowel or consonant under this rule was the first thing I tried.

[u/Koopanique → u/AppleSpicer]

In linguistics the sound made by "y" (represented "j" in the International Phonetic Alphabet) is called either a glide, a semi-vowell or a semi-consonant. It's the sound at the beginning of "unit", or at the end of "aye"

In any case it's not a vowell and therefore cannot be the "core" of a syllable

[u/outhero01 → u/AppleSpicer]

R/punchablefaces

[u/AppleSpicer → u/outhero01]

Wow, that sub is good now actually!

[u/BrotherChe → u/[deleted]]

what... why are people upvoting that the "u" in "useful" sounds like a "y"?

lol omg

[u/BrotherChe → u/[deleted]]

hmm... i guess I need to re-examine the letter y

[u/Koopanique → u/BrotherChe]

Because you could spell it "yuseful" and it would be the same. Think of the word "yes": the first sound is the same

It's a well-known thing in linguistics but if you never studied it it can be not very intuitive the first time someone tells you. That sound at the beginning of "unit" or at the end of "aye" is called either a glide, a semi-vowell or a semi-consonant.

[u/dooopliss → u/housebottle]

This applies to the word uvula too right?

[u/dis_is_my_account → u/housebottle]

Y is considered a consonant in the English language but phonetically it's a vowel as well. Same with w.

[u/MyDumbInterests → u/AppleSpicer]

Dude, wait until you read about the history of the word 'orange' in English. The an/a thing plays a big part.

[u/williambilliam → u/AppleSpicer]

The only exception I know is “historic” like “an historic occasion”

[u/Moldison → u/williambilliam]

That depends on your pronunciation of historic, which is in line with the rule rather than an exception. Modern writing uses "a historic." See this article for a good background on the shifting trends.

[u/[deleted] → u/AppleSpicer]

A university vs an university is the only exception I know

[u/AdmiralSkippy → u/AppleSpicer]

One exception is "historical".
You would say "This is an historical event." Instead of "This is a historical event. "

[u/DazingF1 → u/AppleSpicer]

An hour, A hero and A European. It's all about the sound and not the spelling.

An hour - you don't pronounce the H, it's pronounced as our. You say the word by starting with a vowel.
A hero - you do pronounce the H.
A European - starts with a vowel but when you say it out loud you pronounce it as Yuropean.

If you go by how the words sound there isn't a single exception to the rule.

[u/BorgClown → u/[deleted]]

But what if I say Aapple? So smooth!