Use Of The A And An Questions Medium
You should use "an" before words starting with a silent "q." The use of "an" is determined by the sound that follows the article, not the actual letter. Since the sound of a silent "q" is typically a vowel sound, "an" is used to maintain the smooth flow of speech. For example, you would say "an hour" because the "h" in "hour" is silent and the word is pronounced with a vowel sound at the beginning. Similarly, you would say "an honest person" because the "h" in "honest" is also silent.