Is it "a" RO/DI or "an" RO/DI?

[D3DPrintedThingz]

Ok, before we get started, let's keep the name calling to a minimum and the opinions tailored to the topic at hand. Or not, YOLO.

My mind works in mysterious ways to say the least. I've been thinking about this for like 3 days and I can't stop so I need a finalized answer.

When you refer to a RODI unit, or an RODI unit, which is correct, "a" or "an" ?

I can see arguments from both sides, so I am going to leave it up to this community to come up with a finalized answer. If you're an english teacher then your opinion is weighted less because you'll probably have some lame nerd answer. LOL just kidding... kind of...

 

[gbru316]

I believe the format is you use whatever word you'd use if you spelled it all out. But I'm no English major.

 

[shakacuz]

i use “a” RODI unit. “an” doesn’t seem right/correct to me even just enunciating it

 

[LeftyReefer]

a RO/DI

RO/DI starts with an R, so you use "a"
if it started with a vowel, you would use "an"

That's always the rule I use.

a revolver
an encyclopedia
a nun
an adventure

 

[jdpiii3]

Use “a” before words that start with a consonant sound and “an” before words that start with a vowel sound.

Other letters can also be pronounced either way. Just remember it is the sound that governs whether you use “a” or “an,” not the actual first letter of the word.

 

[LeftyReefer]

When you refer to a RODI unit, or an RODI unit, which is correct, "a" or "an" ?

I can see arguments from both sides,

Well you shouldn't... there is only one correct answer here. it's "a" RO/DI. "an" RO/DI would be incorrect.

 

[Smoke-Town]

Acronyms like RODI just muddy the water of the English language more. Phonetically it sounds better to say an rodi although it certainly looks wrong written. The problem is that the English letter "R" sounds as though it starts with the letter a, which makes you want to us "an"... English is a weird language

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

a RO/DI

RO/DI starts with an R, so you use "a"
if it started with a vowel, you would use "an"

That's always the rule I use.

a revolver
an encyclopedia
a nun
an adventure

This right here.

 

[MoshJosh]

Per the internet, and the Scrabble dictionary, "R" is spelled "ar". . . so in my book it's "an RODI unit".

 

[Dempsey941]

 

[Reefer Matt Verified Media Partner]

Do what you want. English is being reinvented everyday. Especially with coral names.

 

[LeftyReefer]

Acronyms like RODI just muddy the water of the English language more. Phonetically it sounds better to say an rodi although it certainly looks wrong written. The problem is that the English letter "R" sounds as though it starts with the letter a, which makes you want to us "an"... English is a weird language

huh?

RODI just stands for Reverse Osmosis, etc... which still starts with a R sound, not an A sound. Both the acronym and the actual word start with R, so it doesn't muddy anything here.

Are you telling me the words **** and ape have the same beginning sound to you? you can not tell them apart when someone speaks them to you? R's and A's sound different.

I do not agree that "an RODI" sounds better phonetically either. I think it sounds weird and is incorrect based on all the rules of English I was taught. I actually thought this post was a joke as "an" RODI is so clearly wrong and yet OP said they debated this for 3 days. LOL.

 

[killer2001]

I would write it "a RODI" but I would speak it as "an RODI" since the "R" sounds like the word "ARE" which starts with a vowel.

 

[Soren]

I think it simply depends on whether you call it by the acronym letters or the combined "word" made by the letters.

Phonetically speaking, it would either be:
"a" 'rodie' unit
"an" 'ar-oh-dee-aye' unit

...just to add my two non-cents!

P.S. Due to personal distaste for acronym words, I prefer to call it "an ar-oh-dee-aye unit" in speech. In text, I would tend towards either "a" or "an" depending on how I say it in my head while typing as shown above, therefore typically "an RO/DI" unit. Note that I also don't call it just "RO/DI", but always follow it with a noun, such as "unit" or "system".
In my family, we do enjoy challenging each other to be more particular than necessary in our speech.

 

[fish farmer]

An ARRodeeEye.....like a Pirate.

 

[LeftyReefer]

I would write it "a RODI" but I would speak it as "an RODI" since the "R" sounds like the word "ARE" which starts with a vowel.

I think it simply depends on whether you call it by the acronym letters or the combined "word" made by the letters.

Phonetically speaking, it would either be:
"a" 'rodie' unit
"an" 'ar-oh-dee-aye' unit

...just to add my two non-cents!

P.S. Due to personal distaste for acronym words, I prefer to call it "an ar-oh-dee-aye unit" in speech. In text, I would tend towards either "a" or "an" depending on how I say it in my head while typing as shown above, therefore typically "an RO/DI" unit. Note that I also don't call it just "RO/DI", but always follow it with a noun, such as "unit" or "system".
In my family, we do enjoy challenging each other to be more particular than necessary in our speech.

R sounds like a R. only when you spell out the sound to AR or ARE, does it then start with vowel.
The R sound is still a consonant sound, not a vowel sound. R's sound like R's not like A's.

you would say and write "a" radio and be correct. You wouldn't write "a" radio and then speak "an" radio...
so why argue it's correct for RODI ?

The scrabble dictionary also says EN is how you spell the letter N. Well EN starts with a vowel the same way AR does.... So by using the same logic used above, anything that now begins with the letter N starts with a vowel sound too? so An would be correct to use before words that start with N ? Nope, wrong.

 

[Smoke-Town]

huh?

RODI just stands for Reverse Osmosis, etc... which still starts with a R sound, not an A sound. Both the acronym and the actual word start with R, so it doesn't muddy anything here.

Are you telling me the words **** and ape have the same beginning sound to you? you can not tell them apart when someone speaks them to you? R's and A's sound different.

I do not agree that "an RODI" sounds better phonetically either. I think it sounds weird and is incorrect based on all the rules of English I was taught. I actually thought this post was a joke as "an" RODI is so clearly wrong and yet OP said they debated this for 3 days. LOL.

I would write it "a RODI" but I would speak it as "an RODI" since the "R" sounds like the word "ARE" which starts with a vowel.

This guy gets what I'm saying. Didn't think it was that confusing but apparently it was. Maybe the issue is that some people say the acronym RODI as a word "roe-dee"... I do not do that. I say R,O,D,I...therefore the when you say the letter R, it sounds like it starts with a vowel, like the word "are"... and therefore sounds better to use "an"... hope that offers more clarity for ya

 

[Soren]

R sounds like a R. only when you spell out the sound to AR or ARE, does it then start with vowel.
The R sound is still a consonant sound, not a vowel sound. R's sound like R's not like A's.

you would say and write "a" radio and be correct. You wouldn't write "a" radio and then speak "an" radio...
so why argue it's correct for RODI ?

The scrabble dictionary also says EN is how you spell the letter N. Well EN starts with a vowel the same way AR does.... So by using the same logic used above, anything that now begins with the letter N starts with a vowel sound too? so An would be correct to use before words that start with N ? Nope, wrong.

I'm speaking entirely of phonetics. Note my above distinction on whether you say out the individual letters or say the acronym like a new word spelled with the letters. This is exactly the same answer as @Dempsey941 posted above denoting differences between acronyms such as "NATO" and "NBA" being phonetically different since "NATO" is pronounced like a word spelled with the letters while "NBA" is pronounced as each letter sequentially. Interestingly, this is exactly the letter you brought into question.

Most would say "NBA" as "en-bee-ay" and "NATO" as "nay-toe", showing the distinction I tried to state above.

 

[D3DPrintedThingz]

I legit posted this and completely forgot about it. It is exactly what I was hoping for.

My thinking - if you say RO/DI as an acronym, it would be "an" because you'd be making an "arrrr" sound first to say R.

However if you say RODI as "roh-dee" then the first sound is a consonant. Then it would be correct to say "a" RO/DI.

Let the answer be known, once and for all!!

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

I got teased by a local reefing group for calling my filter a RODI (pronounced like "roadie").