an popular

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "an popular" is not correct in written English.
It should be "a popular" because "popular" begins with a consonant sound. Example: "She is a popular figure in the community."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Science

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

6 human-written examples

The birthday part was being held at the Mary River Wilderness Retreat, an popular Outback tourist destination 70 miles southeast of the Northern Territory capital of Darwin.

Independent

In this work, the authors used an popular off-the-shelf CNN model, the VGG-16 architecture [51] that was pre-trained on ImageNet for 1000 categories.

EURASIP Journal on Image and Video Processing

Hans Reiser, creator of ReiserFS, an popular alternative filesystem, led Oakland, CA police to his murdered wife's body yesterday afternoon.

TechCrunch

Mr. Pabón is an popular motivational speaker.

Huffington Post

Schulz, creator of the Peanuts comic strip, was nicknamed "Sparky" after DeBeck's racehorse character, and DeBeck's drawing style has been an influence on contemporary cartooning an popular culture, and on such later cartoonists as Robert Crumb and Bobby London.

Wikipedia

Because SAAB don't build the 2 Seater Gripen F of the Gripen E Switzerland will first rent a few Grippen C and 2-seater Gripen D. Due to financing struggles in the MoD and the possibility of an popular initiative it is uncertain whether the JAS-39E can be really acquired.

Wikipedia

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

54 human-written examples

Mikhail Verbitsky, a mathematician, is a popular blogger.

The New York Times

A nice table at a popular restaurant?

The New Yorker

Was it a popular revolt?

The New York Times

This is a popular sport".

The New York Times - Sports

(A popular option: movie theaters).

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Always use the article "a" before words that begin with a consonant sound, such as "popular". The correct phrase is "a popular".

Common error

Avoid using "an" before words starting with a consonant sound. "An" is reserved for words that begin with a vowel sound. Remember to use "a popular" instead of "an popular".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "an popular" functions incorrectly as an adjective phrase intended to modify a noun. Ludwig AI highlights that this usage is grammatically flawed due to the incorrect article used before the consonant sound of "popular".

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

50%

Wiki

33%

Science

17%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Formal & Business

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "an popular" is grammatically incorrect. Ludwig AI clearly indicates the error arises from using the article "an" before a word starting with a consonant sound. The correct form is "a popular". While the phrase appears in various sources, its incorrect usage diminishes its effectiveness. Alternatives like "well-liked" or "widely known" can be used depending on the desired nuance. Always remember to match the article to the sound of the following word to ensure grammatical correctness.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

a popular

Corrects the grammatical error by using the proper article "a" before the consonant sound of "popular".

widely known

Replaces the phrase with a descriptive term indicating broad recognition.

well-liked

Substitutes with a term emphasizing positive reception or favor.

highly regarded

Conveys a sense of esteem and respect, changing the focus slightly.

well-received

Focuses on how something is greeted or accepted by an audience.

in demand

Indicates that something is requested or desired by many people.

frequently used

Highlights the common use of something rather than its popularity.

common

A simple alternative that focuses on prevalence or frequency.

prominent

Highlights the importance and visibility of a subject instead of its popularity.

in vogue

Implies something is trendy or fashionable, a specific type of popularity.

FAQs

What is the correct way to say "an popular"?

The correct way to phrase it is "a popular". The article "a" should be used before words that start with a consonant sound, while "an" is used before words that start with a vowel sound.

What's the difference between "a popular" and "an popular"?

"A popular" is grammatically correct because "popular" begins with a consonant sound, while "an popular" is incorrect.

Can I use "an" before "popular" in any situation?

No, "an" should never be used before "popular" because "popular" always begins with a consonant sound. Always use "a popular".

What are some alternatives to the phrase "a popular"?

Depending on the context, you could use phrases like "well-liked", "widely known", or "highly regarded".