a important number

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "a important number" is not correct in written English.
It should be "an important number" because "important" begins with a vowel sound. Example: "In mathematics, pi is an important number that represents the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

We limited our analysis of paragraphed text reading to an evaluation of reading threshold character size and the determination of the percentage of words correctly read at first attempt because the SLO is not adapted to determine reading speed as a important number of images are lost while the subject performs eye movements.

BMC Ophthalmology

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

59 human-written examples

"It is an important number and a symbolic number for us," said Seth Winter, the executive vice president for sales of the NBC Sports Group.

The New York Times

This happens three or four times the exact same way, suggesting that the song goes on into infinity, which is an important number to a kid.

Vice

Skin reactions due to radiotherapy and chemotherapy are a significant problem for an important number of cancer patients.

Cancer Management and Research

For a VE titration, a Δ250SV threshold at 10% could miss an important number of preload dependant patients.

Intensive Care Medicine Experimental

The ratio, the price-to-earnings multiple of a company divided by a consensus estimate of expected earnings growth, is an important number for many investors.

The New York Times

André Kuipers told Netherlands' public broadcaster Nederlandse Omroep Stichting that he accidentally missed an important number when trying to make a long-distance call from outer space.

Huffington Post

André Kuipers told Netherlands' public broadcaster Nederlandse Omroep Stichting that he accidentally missed an important number when trying to make a long-distance call from outer space.

HuffPost

It's an important number but it's also probably an inaccurate one.

The Guardian

"I know it is a very small number," he said, but around freezing temperature, it is an important number.

The New York Times - Travel

* Sponsoring a comparative study of drug prices, which was widely cited as showing that an "important number of consumers" paid more for generics than for brand-name drugs.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Always use the correct article ('a' or 'an') based on the following word's initial sound. In this case, "important" begins with a vowel sound, so use "an".

Common error

Avoid using "a" before words that start with a vowel sound. Using "a important number" is a common mistake; always remember to use "an" instead.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "a important number" functions as a noun phrase intended to describe a numerical value of significance. Ludwig indicates that the phrase is grammatically incorrect. The intended function is to highlight the importance of a number within a given context.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

Science

34%

News & Media

58%

Formal & Business

8%

Less common in

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "a important number" is grammatically incorrect because the article "a" should not precede a word beginning with a vowel sound. The correct form is "an important number". Ludwig AI highlights this grammatical error. While the phrase attempts to emphasize the significance of a numerical value, the incorrect grammar undermines its effectiveness. Always ensure correct article usage for clarity and credibility. Alternative phrases include "a significant figure" or "a key statistic", depending on the desired nuance.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

an important number

Corrects the grammatical error by using the correct article "an" before the vowel sound.

a significant figure

Replaces "important" with "significant" while maintaining the meaning.

a key statistic

Uses "key statistic" instead of "important number" to emphasize data.

a crucial value

Substitutes "important" with "crucial" and "number" with "value".

a noteworthy quantity

Replaces "important" with "noteworthy" and "number" with "quantity".

a relevant datum

Replaces "important" with "relevant" and "number" with the singular form "datum".

a vital metric

Uses "vital metric" to suggest that the number is essential for measurement.

a critical measurement

Emphasizes the importance of the "measurement" with the adjective "critical".

a meaningful digit

Substitutes "number" with "digit" and "important" with "meaningful".

a consequential amount

Replaces "number" with "amount" and "important" with "consequential".

FAQs

What is the correct way to say "a important number"?

The correct way to say it is "an important number" because the word "important" starts with a vowel sound.

What are some alternatives to "an important number"?

You can use alternatives like "a significant figure", "a key statistic", or "a crucial value" depending on the context.

When should I use "an important number"?

Use "an important number" when you want to emphasize that a particular numerical value or quantity is significant or noteworthy in a given context. For example, "42 is an important number in Douglas Adams's The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy."

Is there a difference between "a important number" and "an important number"?

Yes, "a important number" is grammatically incorrect, while "an important number" is correct. Use "an" before words that begin with a vowel sound.