Certain sets of words in the English language tend to confuse people. I have found the following to be among them:
A HISTORIC / AN HISTORIC
What determines use of the article “a” or “an” is whether it precedes a vowel sound or a consonant sound.
Notice that I used the term “vowel sound” rather than simply “vowel.” The reason for having “an” as an alternative to the article “a” no doubt came about as a means of enabling smoother speech. Therefore, the article “an” is used before such words as “hour” and “honest” even though those words begin with a consonant because their initial consonant is silent and followed by a vowel.
In words where the initial consonant is pronounced in speech, such as “historic,” the article “a” would be the proper one to precede it. (Some people don’t pronounce the H in “historic” when speaking, but according to major dictionaries and linguists, the H in this word should be pronounced.)
INCORRECT: This is an historic moment in the lives of all humans.
CORRECT: This is a historic moment in the lives of all humans.
INCORRECT: This is quite a honor.
CORRECT: This is quite an honor.
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