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In order to specify whether a or an, I need to know whether the articulation is with [ar] like vowel sound or [r] like consonant sound. So is RHS a vowel or a consonant sounding in the initial? So a RHS or an RHS?

tchrist
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    What is RHS? Is this an onomatopoeic exclamation? The initials of an organization? – choster Aug 24 '16 at 22:25
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    acronyms aren't words per se. But if this represents a thing, I'd say "an RHS" because "a RHS" the "a" is going to get slurred into it. – developerwjk Aug 24 '16 at 22:27
  • @choster abbreviation for a technical system such as a removal heat system (RHS) :) – hhh Aug 24 '16 at 22:28
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    You will need to use an before RHS because of its pronunciation (Are-Eh-Ess). The best hint for this will be "an hour" – R.S. Aug 24 '16 at 22:32
  • Related: Pronouncing acronyms, General rule for pronouncing initialisms? – herisson Aug 24 '16 at 22:34
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    What! {Removal heat system} I presumed you were taking about the Royal Horticultural Society or even right-hand side (I'm pretty sure they'd use an an). On a different note, you should be careful using acronym to refer to RHS, if it were an acronym it would be pronounce arse, like NASA, while RHS is an initialism because you pronounce each letter independently. – BladorthinTheGrey Aug 24 '16 at 22:35
  • All roads in similar questions lead back to the nominated duplicate. There are a large number of similar questions listed in the sidebar as well which may help. – Andrew Leach Aug 24 '16 at 23:38
  • @AndrewLeach: Initially, I voted to close as a duplicate of that question, but I retracted it after a second look because they really are not the same. The answer there, "It depends on whether the abbreviation is an acronym or an initialism," is in fact an assumption of this question. hhh already knew that "In order to specify whether a or an, I need to know whether the articulation is with [ar] like vowel sound or [r] like consonant sound." The question here is really not about the rule for choosing "a" or "an"; it's about how to know how to pronounce "RHS." – herisson Aug 24 '16 at 23:59
  • @AndrewLeach: That's why I think "Pronouncing acronyms" is more relevant. If I were to close as duplicate, that's the target I'd pick. – herisson Aug 25 '16 at 00:00

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You should say an RHS because it is spoken out loud as [Are-Aitch-Ess] with initials. Sometimes, people say acronyms differently but apparently not here like FAG '[Ef Ei Ge]' (an FAG) or '[F \ae g]' (a FAG).

RHS could stand for Royal Horticultural Society and Removal Heat System.

Related

  1. Pronouncing acronyms

  2. Do you use "a" or "an" before acronyms?

  3. General rule for pronouncing initialisms?

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