An historic, or a historic

[verybadhairdoo]

so pedants, which is correct?

[HomeWhereTheMusicsPlaying]

Erm - an ?

[verybadhairdoo]

no shooting here HomeWhereTheMusicsPlaying, personally I've no idea!

[Xmasbaby11]

It's not a silent h so needs 'a'.

[SnakeyMcBadass]

A sounds better.

[MooncupGoddess]

'An historic' is traditionally the correct form, based on the assumption that the 'h' of 'historic' is silent or very weak.

However, since everyone now pronounces 'historic' with a strong initial aitch then 'an historic' is outdated and unnecessary.

[thecuntureshow]

A.

A his-torik

Would be an if an is-torik

[thecuntureshow]

Googled just to prove I'm right www.oxforddictionaries.com/words/a-historic-event-or-an-historic-event

[Lesleythegiraffe]

I've never understood why it's an for hotel either.

Is it pronounced otel in some places?

A hotel, a historic....... - an just sounds daft

[thecuntureshow]

It's not an for hotel, it's A!

It's basically an whenever it's a vowel sound. So an MP for example. An hour (our).

[wafflyversatile]

a historic. I'm not french!

[wafflyversatile]

basically if you pronounce the h you use a and if you don't you use an.

[LostTeacher]

I was taught in school that it was an hotel and an historic.

[Lesleythegiraffe]

I've definitely heard reporters on TV say "an hotel"

[wafflyversatile]

TV reporters live in a different world. move with the times, daddio!

[StairsInTheNight]

A historic, or a hotel. Or an otel if you prefer, geez

[thecuntureshow]

Can we just all agree that it's A? Then people can reference Mumsnet when the debate comes up elsewhere in the future.

[Lesleythegiraffe]

It's a before a word beginning with h - an is twattish

[thecuntureshow]

Hm, no Lesley. It's definitely AN hour.

[DrankSangriaInThePark]

There are 4 words beginning with H which take "an"

hour/honest/honour/heir (and of course their derivatives)

Hotel is an optional these days, although in standard RP the H is also silent. The Queen says "an hotel" as do most RP speakers.

Historic, as pps have said, has moved probably further along the line than hotel. But it's still perfectly correct to use an. Or A.

[Seeline]

I would use 'an' for historic. I believe it to be correct for hotel, but just can't bring myself to use it
I am old fashioned though
I wish people would keep silent H's silent - TV presenters telling me programmes are available in Haitch D drives me absolutely nuts

[MrsTerryPratchett]

Doesn't this come from it's origin? I thought an Hispanic person was right too. I thought it was because some words that come from other languages have the stress on a different syllable than in English.