an wonderful

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "an wonderful" is not correct in written English.
It should be "a wonderful" because "wonderful" begins with a consonant sound. Example: "She had a wonderful time at the party."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

2 human-written examples

This concert is an wonderful opportunity to show the world another side to the Syrian story – joy and a celebration of our music and culture.

The Guardian - Music

Jenny has lived an extraordinary life living so close to the creative flow and has authored an wonderful book on creativity by interviewing 75 iconic musicians and singer songwriters about their work.

Huffington Post

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

58 human-written examples

A wonderful character, a wonderful story.

The New York Times

A wonderful woman and a wonderful friend.

The New York Times

"A WONDERFUL urban myth".

The Economist

A wonderful place.

Independent

What a wonderful idea.

The New York Times

A wonderful freshness, air.

The New Yorker

A wonderful man.

The New York Times

A wonderful book.

The New Yorker

What a wonderful phrase.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Always use the correct article ('a' or 'an') based on the phonetic sound of the following word. Use 'a' before words starting with a consonant sound and 'an' before words starting with a vowel sound.

Common error

Avoid using "an" before words that begin with a consonant sound, even if the letter is a vowel (e.g., "an university" is incorrect; it should be "a university").

Linguistic Context

The phrase "an wonderful" attempts to function as a descriptive term. However, according to Ludwig AI, it is grammatically incorrect due to the misuse of the article. Examples in Ludwig show correct usages with the article "a".

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

100%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Science

0%

Academia

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, while the phrase "an wonderful" aims to express admiration, it is grammatically incorrect. Ludwig AI highlights the importance of using "a" before words beginning with a consonant sound, making "a wonderful" the correct form. Examples in Ludwig predominantly come from News & Media sources, but the grammatical error detracts from its effectiveness. Alternatives like "a fantastic" or "a marvelous" are recommended for grammatically sound expressions of approval.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

a wonderful

Corrects the grammatical error by using the correct article 'a' before the consonant sound of 'wonderful'.

a fantastic

Replaces "wonderful" with a synonym that conveys a similar sense of admiration.

a marvelous

Offers an alternative with a slightly more formal tone than "wonderful".

a splendid

Provides a more archaic but still understandable synonym for "wonderful".

a superb

Suggests a slightly stronger and more formal expression of excellence.

an amazing

While grammatically correct, it alters the original word.

an incredible

Replaces "wonderful" with another strong adjective expressing admiration, uses the correct article.

a truly great

Uses a more emphatic phrasing to express a high degree of admiration.

exceptionally wonderful

Adds an adverb to intensify the meaning of wonderful (not an alternative, but a variation).

remarkably wonderful

Adds an adverb to intensify the meaning of wonderful (not an alternative, but a variation).

FAQs

Why is "an wonderful" grammatically incorrect?

The phrase "an wonderful" is incorrect because the word "wonderful" begins with a consonant sound. The correct article to use before a consonant sound is "a", making the correct phrase "a wonderful".

What are some alternatives to saying something is "wonderful"?

You can use alternatives like "fantastic", "amazing", "marvelous", or "splendid" depending on the specific nuance you want to convey.

Which is correct: "a wonderful" or "an wonderful"?

"A wonderful" is correct. The article "a" is used before words that begin with a consonant sound, while "an" is used before words that begin with a vowel sound.

How can I avoid making mistakes with articles like "a" and "an"?

Pay attention to the sound, not just the letter, at the beginning of the word. For example, "hour" begins with a vowel sound (even though it starts with the consonant 'h'), so you would use "an hour". Similarly, "university" begins with a consonant sound (the 'y' sound), so you would use "a university".