an common

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "an common" is not correct in written English.
The correct article to use before "common" is "a" because "common" begins with a consonant sound. Example: "It is a common misconception that all swans are white."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

8 human-written examples

We are using a Corona/Core architecture, where each block has an common interface known as the Corona, and one or more implementations, known as the Cores.

University of California, Berkeley

In an common moment of eccentricity, Higgins bought the entire 1939 crop of mahogany from the Philippines and stored it on his own.

Stanford University

Dominic Grieve described as an "common sense" a suggestion by the MPs and peers that privacy injunctions should routinely be served on internet companies, as well as newspapers and broadcasters.

The Guardian

The results obtained were compared with those achieved by manual and automated batch procedures and flow manifolds with different cells: an common quartz flow cell, a helix cell and the most used spiral cell.

Talanta

The current article is, however, based on observations by experts that people confuse technologies due to an (common) absence of knowledge (Nap et al. 2002; van Dam and de Vriend 2002), rather than not accept them.

Life Sciences, Society and Policy

Specifically, an common coding variant, rs10516487 (R61H), was shown to confer a strong protective effect against the disease and was then replicated in the same study in separate South American and European cohorts of patients with SLE.

Application of Clinical Genetics

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

52 human-written examples

A common threat demands a common response.

The New York Times

A good team has a common goal.

WikiHow

A common ground.

The New York Times

A common error.

The New York Times

A common refrain.

The New York Times - Sports

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Always use the article "a" before words that begin with a consonant sound, such as "common". Remember that it's about the sound, not just the letter, so be mindful of silent letters or unusual pronunciations.

Common error

Don't assume that all words starting with consonants require the article "an". It’s the sound that matters. For example, "an hour" is correct because "hour" begins with a vowel sound, despite starting with the consonant "h". Similarly, avoid using "an" before acronyms that start with a consonant sound, such as "a URL".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "an common" is a grammatical error resulting from the incorrect use of the indefinite article. The indefinite article "an" is used before words that begin with a vowel sound, while the article "a" is used before words that begin with a consonant sound. Ludwig AI indicates that this phrase is incorrect.

Expression frequency: Missing

Frequent in

Science

0%

News & Media

0%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Science

0%

News & Media

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Formal & Business

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Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "an common" is a grammatical error due to the incorrect use of the indefinite article "an" before the word "common", which starts with a consonant sound. As Ludwig AI states, the correct article is "a", making "a common" the accurate phrase. This error is not found in authoritative sources, emphasizing the importance of using "a" before consonant sounds and "an" before vowel sounds. Remember, it’s the sound, not the letter, that dictates the choice of article. Correcting such errors enhances clarity and credibility in writing.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

a common

Corrects the grammatical error by using the appropriate article "a" before the consonant sound of "common".

a typical

Replaces "common" with a synonym that implies something is usual or expected.

a usual

Replaces "common" with a synonym indicating something that happens regularly or is normally the case.

a frequent

Replaces "common" with a synonym emphasizing the occurrence of something at short intervals.

a prevalent

Replaces "common" with a synonym stressing widespread existence or acceptance.

a widespread

Replaces "common" with a synonym emphasizing the broad extent or range of something.

a general

Replaces "common" with a synonym suggesting something is applicable or affects many people or things.

a shared

Implies something is held or experienced jointly, shifting the focus from frequency to joint possession.

a mutual

Suggests something is felt or done by each of two or more parties toward the other(s).

a joint

Implies something is done by two or more people or organizations together.

FAQs

Why is "an common" grammatically incorrect?

The phrase "an common" is incorrect because the article "an" is used before words starting with a vowel sound, not just a vowel. Since "common" starts with a consonant sound, the correct article is "a", making /s/a+common a common the right choice.

What's the rule for using "a" versus "an"?

Use "a" before words starting with a consonant sound (e.g., a car, a university—because "university" starts with the consonant sound /ju:/). Use "an" before words starting with a vowel sound (e.g., an apple, an hour—because "hour" starts with the vowel sound /aʊ/). It's about the sound, not the letter itself.

What are some correct examples using the word "common"?

Here are a few examples: "It's "a common practice"", "That's "a common mistake"", or "He has "a common sense"". The article "a" is correctly used before the word "common" because it begins with a consonant sound.

Are there exceptions to the "a" vs "an" rule?

Yes, the primary exception revolves around pronunciation. Words like "hour" or "honest" use "an" because their initial consonant is silent, resulting in a vowel sound at the start. Similarly, acronyms are pronounced based on their initial sound (e.g., "an MBA" vs "a CPA").