Acronyms with "A" or "An"

[J-rap]

I know the general rule is to treat a letter like a word when trying to decide whether to use "a" or "an" with it. This particularly makes sense when you're saying those letters out loud.  But how about if you're only using the acronym in writing in order to save space?  

 

In this particular case, it's three letters representing a university name, and it's only being listed that way in order to save space on a CV because the name is so long.  The letters are not well known as a college acronym in the way that a major university is known, or colleges like MIT, etc.  So when reading the acronym silently, you're probably more likely to silently say the whole name of the university, not just the letters individually.

 

Would you still put an SCU event instead of a SCU event? 

[maize]

If it is written as an acronym I say it as an acronym in my head, so I vote for an.

[J-rap]

If it is written as an acronym I say it as an acronym in my head, so I vote for an.

 

That's what I'm leaning toward.

[Tanaqui]

Rewrite it: An event at SCU. SCU's annual event. The upcoming SCU event. This SCU event.

[regentrude]

An SCU event

http://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/2012/04/using-a-or-an-with-acronyms-and-abbreviations.html

 

 

[PentecostalMom]

I know the general rule is to treat a letter like a word when trying to decide whether to use "a" or "an" with it. This particularly makes sense when you're saying those letters out loud. But how about if you're only using the acronym in writing in order to save space?

 

In this particular case, it's three letters representing a university name, and it's only being listed that way in order to save space on a CV because the name is so long. The letters are not well known as a college acronym in the way that a major university is known, or colleges like MIT, etc. So when reading the acronym silently, you're probably more likely to silently say the whole name of the university, not just the letters individually.

 

Would you still put an SCU event instead of a SCU event?

The “rule†is that if it SOUNDS like a vowel, it gets “an†even if it is an actual consonant.

 

 

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[Tanaqui]

The “rule†is that if it SOUNDS like a vowel, it gets “an†even if it is an actual consonant.

 

You've got the rule right, but your reasoning is backwards. A vowel is a sound. Our orthography is a little screwy.