an hour long

USAGE SUMMARY

'an hour long' is a correct and usable phrase in written English.
You can use it to describe something that takes, or lasts, for one hour. For example, "The movie was an hour long."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

28 human-written examples

It's an hour long.

The New Yorker

The flight seemed an hour long.

The New York Times - Magazine

Episodes won't have to be an hour long.

The New York Times - Arts

Many of the films are an hour long or more.

Independent

They are half an hour long and purely comic.

The Economist

And it was an hour long, which was perfect".

The New Yorker

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

32 human-written examples

It is an hour-long piece.

Independent

"It was an hour-long meeting.

The New Yorker

It's an hour-long recruitment commercial.

The Guardian - Opinion

BRONX Garden Highlights Walk, an hour-long tour.

The New York Times

In an hour-long television speech he denied any wrongdoing.

The Economist

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "an hour long" to clearly specify the duration of an event, activity, or piece of media. For clarity, consider using the hyphenated form "hour-long" when using the phrase as an adjective (e.g., "an hour-long meeting").

Common error

Avoid using "an hour long" as a noun. It functions best as an adjective describing something. For example, instead of saying "The show was an hour long," say "The show was "hour-long"" or "The show lasted an hour."

Linguistic Context

The phrase "an hour long" primarily functions as an adjective phrase describing the duration of something. Ludwig provides examples like "The album is just over "an hour long"" and "The game, "an hour long", is divided into quarters".

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

63%

Science

22%

Wiki

11%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Social Media

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "an hour long" is a common and grammatically correct way to describe the duration of something as one hour. As Ludwig AI confirms, this phrase is usable in various contexts, predominantly in News & Media and Science. When using "an hour long", remember that it functions as an adjective and should be used accordingly. For instance, you can say, "The meeting was "an hour long"". Alternatively, using "hour-long" as in "hour-long meeting" is also effective. Ludwig can also provide further examples for clarity.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

hour-long

Uses a hyphenated form to describe the duration as a compound adjective.

lasting one hour

Focuses on the duration itself.

one-hour duration

Highlights the length as a specific period.

sixty-minute long

Emphasizes the exact time in minutes.

lasting for 60 minutes

Provides the duration in precise units of time.

of one hour's length

More formal way to describe the duration.

with a duration of one hour

States the duration in a more descriptive manner.

for a period of an hour

Stresses the specific timeframe.

extending for an hour

Highlights the continuous nature of the duration.

taking an hour

Focuses on the time consumption.

FAQs

How can I use "an hour long" in a sentence?

You can use "an hour long" to describe the duration of something, such as "The presentation was "an hour long"". It specifies that something lasts for one hour.

What's the difference between "an hour long" and "hour-long"?

"An hour long" typically functions as a predicate adjective after a verb (e.g., "The movie is "an hour long""), whereas "hour-long" (with a hyphen) functions as a compound adjective before a noun (e.g., "an "hour-long" meeting").

What can I say instead of "an hour long"?

You can use alternatives like "lasting one hour" or "one-hour duration depending on the context".

Is it grammatically correct to say "a hour long" instead of "an hour long"?

No, it is not grammatically correct. The correct article to use before "hour" is "an" because "hour" begins with a vowel sound, even though it's spelled with the consonant "h". Therefore, the proper phrase is ""an hour long"".