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1. nivertech · 1789886559 · focus · HN ↗

     “a San Francisco startup” /ə ˌsæn frənˈsɪskoʊ ˈstɑɹtˌʌp/
     vs
     “an SF startup” /ən ˌɛsˈɛf ˈstɑɹtˌʌp/
   

   i.e. you have to mentally pronounce the phrase before choosing which form of the indefinite article to write

   1. rererereferred · 1789912639 · focus · HN ↗

      Which sucks when I'm writing about SQL because it works both ways: "An es-cue-el query" "A sequel query"

      1. nivertech · 1790156583 · focus · HN ↗

         yes, that was another one I had in mind.

           /ən ˌɛs.kjuːˈɛl ˈkwɪri/
           vs
           /ə ˈsiːkwəl ˈkwɪri/

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