Poll: "A LEO" or "An LEO"

[Fangs]

I see it written both ways, and I'm curious as to why. To me it seems that there's no vowel at the beginning of "LEO", thus it should be "an". Then again, English is my second language, and I faintly remember making exceptions for things that sound vowel-ish. Looking forward to the results of the poll and the reasonings behind it.

[USA1]

A Law Enforcement Officer.

An Law Enforcement Officer.

[WildBill]

"An LEO."

"A" is used before words beginning with consonants; "an", before words beginning with vowels. This is determined by sound, not spelling ("a history", "an hour", "a unit", "a European", "a one"). Formerly, "an" was usual before unaccented syllables beginning with "h" ("an historian", "an hotel"); these are "now obsolescent" in British English (Collins English Dictionary), although "an historian" is retained in more dialects than "an hotel".

Before abbreviations, the choice of "a"/"an" depends on how the abbreviation is pronounced: "a NATO spokesman" (because "NATO" is pronounced /'neItoU/); "an NBC spokesman" (because "NBC" is pronounced /Enbi:'si:/) "a NY spokesman" (because "NY" is read as "New York (state)").

http://alt-usage-english.org/excerpts/fxaanbef.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[ScottDLS]

A LEO.

An Aries.

A Scorpio.

'Nuff said.

[C-dub]

A Law Enforcement Officer.

An LEO.

Of course, it also depends on how it is being used.

[Dan20703]

You needed a poll for this? Are we in english class here?

[C-dub]

Ah ha. After checking out the link I see the difference. If one reads LEO "L.E.O." then "an" should be used. But, if one reads it like Leo the Lion then "a" should be used. (word vs. acronym)

[oran214]

Slide lock or slide release? Which manual should I read in English?

[Fangs]

Ah ha. After checking out the link I see the difference. If one reads LEO "L.E.O." then "an" should be used. But, if one reads it like Leo the Lion then "a" should be used. (word vs. acronym)

This makes the most sense.

I was just curious, since I see it used both ways on a regular basis. So no, I didn't need a poll, but I wanted one.

[Ldy AlliDu]

Ah ha. After checking out the link I see the difference. If one reads LEO "L.E.O." then "an" should be used. But, if one reads it like Leo the Lion then "a" should be used. (word vs. acronym)

Thanks!

[gigag04]

An Elle-EEE-Oh


A LEEE-Oh

I think spelling it out, like the first example, sounds better....def reads better.

[OldSchool]

I live in an organization that epitomizes the use of acronyms. The safest way (and I believe the most correct way) to handle acronyms is as if they were spelled out, not as if you were pronouncing the acronym itself (which really is only a surrogate for the spelled-out phrase). So, not as "an el-ee-oh", but as "a law enforcement officer."

This will look funny to those who always pronounce acronyms as words, but it will always be defensible.

[chabouk]

I live in an organization that epitomizes the use of acronyms. The safest way (and I believe the most correct way) to handle acronyms is as if they were spelled out, not as if you were pronouncing the acronym itself (which really is only a surrogate for the spelled-out phrase). So, not as "an el-ee-oh", but as "a law enforcement officer."

This will look funny to those who always pronounce acronyms as words, but it will always be defensible.

So, do you say "an LASER"? Our lives are filled with those little devices that produce "Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation".

An acronym is a pronounceable abbreviation. Since it is pronounceable, it's proper to treat it as you would any other noun.

That said, I've caught myself using both "A LEE-oh", and "An Ell-Ee-Oh" in my writing. My solution is to avoid the situation by choosing alternative wording.

[OldSchool]

So, do you say "an LASER"? Our lives are filled with those little devices that produce "Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation".

An acronym is a pronounceable abbreviation. Since it is pronounceable, it's proper to treat it as you would any other noun.

You've hit on the issue.

"Laser" has become a word, not just an acronym. It's an excellent example, because the original phrase is a method, not a device, so using an article in front of the method would not be reasonable. Thus, it became a word referring to a device.

Acronyms are really not primarily for pronunciation, they are for shortening conversation, and most often are said letter-by-letter (except by newbies in our business who just want to invent new words -- it's a cultural thing). That's why I'm saying they're a surrogate for the actual phrase.

Thus they can often get in the way. In our meetings, in fact, I (and even the top chiefs) often tell the speaker to "explain" the acronyms they're using, since many of our acronyms not only stand for several different things, but often are just made up by the speaker!

[jgedmond]

So, do you say "an LASER"? Our lives are filled with those little devices that produce "Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation".

An acronym is a pronounceable abbreviation. Since it is pronounceable, it's proper to treat it as you would any other noun.

You've hit on the issue.

"Laser" has become a word, not just an acronym. It's an excellent example, because the original phrase is a method, not a device, so using an article in front of the method would not be reasonable. Thus, it became a word referring to a device.

Acronyms are really not primarily for pronunciation, they are for shortening conversation, and most often are said letter-by-letter (except by newbies in our business who just want to invent new words -- it's a cultural thing). That's why I'm saying they're a surrogate for the actual phrase.

Thus they can often get in the way. In our meetings, in fact, I (and even the top chiefs) often tell the speaker to "explain" the acronyms they're using, since many of our acronyms not only stand for several different things, but often are just made up by the speaker!

There's nothing magic about acronyms. The general rule is to use the article just as you would in any other situation considering the initial letter of the acronym as it is commonly spoken, therefore, a "LASER", but an "FFL".