Do you write "an herb"?

Question

Although I always pronounce the H in herb, I think seems "a herb" looks weird...
Which one should I use? should I consider my personal pronunciation?

On the other hand, I always write/say "a horse," "a hotel' etc

P.S ... is herb pronounced "harb"?

Are there any other words whose H is presently pronounced, but often takes "an"

the OED has "harb" as the pronunciation, is it like that in the UK?

Answer 1

To begin with, the word "herb" may be correctly pronounced either as "urb" or "hurb" (not "harb").
The word "an" is customarily used before words that begin with an initial vowel sound and sometimes, especially in British English, before an "h" that is normally pronounced in American English. Examples: an honor; an historian.
So, my take on all this is that "an herb" is what I would write.

Answer 2

Herb is pronounced as an opened eh both in british and american English but in british English is with "h" /he b/ resembling the opened "e" in "nurse" and in American English is without "h" / e b/.

You write a horse, a hotel,, correctly.
You can choose both" a" or "an" before "herb".

Answer 3

I use an herb.. but I find that most people avoid this by saying what type of herb it is.. annual herb, perennial herb, etc.

Depends upon where you live...

the H is silent if this is the plant but sounded if a person named Herb.

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?dict=CALD&key=36755&ph=on

Answer 4

It totally depends whether you are a US-American or a British English writer.
In American it is "an herb" in British it is "a herb"

Answer 5

the H is generally silent if you are referring to a plant. (Herbs (IPA: hə(r)b, or ə(r) b.) You might pronounce the H if you have a friend named Herb.
I would tend to write

Answer 6

a herb.

and its said "herb" not "harb", like "her" with a b!

Answer 7

it's pronunced "a herb", spoken, like a "erb" the h is silent. You only use "an" before a noun that starts with a vowel, like an elephant.

Answer 8

yes--it's an herb.