a

a is part of the Basic English 850.

Pronunciation

• (letter name)
  • (UK) and (US)
    • IPA: /eɪ/
    • SAMPA: /eI/
    •  Audio (US)^{help, file}
    •  Audio (US)^{help, file}
  • (AusE)
    • IPA: /æɪ/
    • SAMPA: /{I/
•  Audio (UK)^{help, file}

Determiner

Determiner a

Before vowel sounds an

1. A is used when the following word could be any of a certain type.
   • Synonyms: one, any, each

   Compare "A book I saw on the shelf" and "The book I gave you yesterday".

Note

• If the following word starts with a vowel sound, then we use an instead.
• It is called the indefinite article

Noun

Letter A or a

The letter A

1. A is the first letter of the alphabet.

   The letter "a" comes before "b".

Letters of the Alphabet

A a - B b - C c - D d - E e - F f - G g - H h - I i - J j - K k - L l - M m N n - O o - P p - Q q - R r - S s - T t - U u - V v - W w - X x - Y y - Z z