It’s an heir. Since the first sound of the word heir is a vowel sound (the letter “h” is silent), we use the indefinite article “an”.
It’s an heir. Since the first sound of the word heir is a vowel sound (the letter “h” is silent), we use the indefinite article “an”.
John is an heir to a great fortune.
John is a heir to a great fortune.
Remember, it’s the sound of the following word, not the spelling, which is important.
The story was about an heir who traveled to Tokyo.
Follow the same convention when using other derived forms, such as an heiress (a female heir), an heirloom (a valuable possession that has belonged to a family for many years), or an heirship (the condition of being an heir).
She managed to convince Peter about her status as an heiress.
The ring she is wearing is an heirloom piece.
A partial list of words that also begin with a silent “h”, and therefore take the article an:
- an heiress
- an heirloom
- an herb (American English)
- an herbal (American English)
- an honest
- an honor
- an honorable
- an honorarium
- an honorary
- an hour
- an hourly
- an hourglass
