a

adjective
UK: /eɪ/
US: /eɪ/

  1. Used before nouns that begin with a consonant sound to refer to one single thing or person, when you are mentioning it for the first time or when it does not matter which one you are referring to.

    1. I need a pen to write a letter. [ ] [ ]
    2. She is a doctor at a large local hospital so she is very busy. [ ] [ ]

Synonyms

one some an
a noun

  1. Used to indicate one single item or unit.

    1. A day has twenty-four hours. [ ] [ ]
    2. The recipe calls for a cup of flour so I need to measure carefully. [ ] [ ]

Frequently Asked Questions

The phonetic transcription of "a" is /eɪ/ in British English and /eɪ/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "a": one, some, an.

Example usage of "a": "I need a pen to write a letter.". More examples on the page.