an LLC or a LLC?

[mworrom]

We're debating the sound of the letter L...
some folks are telling me that you go with the first sound of the letter... I say go with the whole letter.

thoughts?

[Dave Miller]

Hi there

(I'm not sure if I have understood your question, but ...)

The letter L, when written as a word, is "el", and it's pronounced "ell", to rhyme with "bell". If you want to speak of just one of them, then it's "an el".

So, if you refer to the company in full words, it's "a limited liability company". If you refer to just the initials, though, it's "an el el cee".

Similarly, it's:
an MC
an HMP
an NGO
an RSVP
and so on.

[Sue M-V]

Hi! I'm not sure what distinction you're making between "the first sound of the letter" and "the whole letter", unless by the former you mean that the pronunciation of it begins with a vowel sound, and by the latter, you mean the fact that it's a consonant by definition.

The only reason we have both "a" and "an" in English is for ease of pronunciation, unlike other languages where alternative articles actually indicate a difference. So the rule is: always choose the one that produces something easier to say.

Is it easier to say "A LLC" or "An LLC"? Since "L" is normally pronounced "ell", it has to be the later!

Don't be fooled by the vowel vs consonant thing that you learnt at school! It's the sound that matters. Compare "a union" and "an umbrella", or "an elephant" and "a euro" - it's not the letter as such, but how you say it that determines whether you say "a" or "an" before (hence "a man" but "an old man").

Sue

[Sue M-V]

Sorry, Dave! Cross posting! You said it so much more succinctly!

Sue

[Tone]

Agreed with both Dave and Sue.

(So it's "an 'otel" for me! )

Tone

[hubertus]

Where I come from it's also an 'ouse.

[Tone]

>Where I come from it's also an 'ouse.<

Is that a small long-tailed rodent?

Tone