There’s no way to determine how nearly 1.4 million National Association of Realtors members pronounce the acronym. Or is there?

On Monday, Inman published 10 real estate predictions headlined “A NAR name change, retirements and a big IPO: My 2020 predictions,” by Brad Inman.

The headline was written by an editor, but shortly thereafter another editor at Inman raised a prickly grammatical question that has since rippled across our comment section: Is it “A NAR name change, retirements and a big IPO: My 2020 predictions,” or, rather, “An NAR name change, retirements and a big IPO: My 2020 predictions”?

In the end, we changed our headline to “An NAR name change, retirements and a big IPO: My 2020 predictions.” However, across Inman’s editorial department, not to mention its comment section and Facebook page, the dispute is far from resolved.

The question is easier to answer when talking about the indefinite article placed near a word like “historic.” That’s because, with a few exceptions, there’s only one way to pronounce that word, “historic.” In that case, many linguists agree that “an historic” is the way to go, citing that the article depends on the “sound” of the word it precedes, regardless if that word begins with a vowel.

Where it becomes more difficult is an acronym like “NAR,” which is shorthand, as you know, for the National Association of Realtors. Some pronounce that acronym as a word of its own: “NAR.” Others spell it out: “N-A-R.”

Because there’s really no way to know how the majority of the trade organization’s nearly 1.4 million members pronounce the acronym, we thought we’d ask you directly: “NAR” or “N-A-R?”

 

Email Inman

Show Comments Hide Comments
Sign up for Inman’s Morning Headlines
What you need to know to start your day with all the latest industry developments
By submitting your email address, you agree to receive marketing emails from Inman.
Success!
Thank you for subscribing to Morning Headlines.
Back to top
×
Log in
If you created your account with Google or Facebook
Don't have an account?
Forgot your password?
No Problem

Simply enter the email address you used to create your account and click "Reset Password". You will receive additional instructions via email.

Forgot your username? If so please contact customer support at (510) 658-9252

Password Reset Confirmation

Password Reset Instructions have been sent to

Subscribe to The Weekender
Get the week's leading headlines delivered straight to your inbox.
Top headlines from around the real estate industry. Breaking news as it happens.
15 stories covering tech, special reports, video and opinion.
Unique features from hacker profiles to portal watch and video interviews.
Unique features from hacker profiles to portal watch and video interviews.
It looks like you’re already a Select Member!
To subscribe to exclusive newsletters, visit your email preferences in the account settings.
Up-to-the-minute news and interviews in your inbox, ticket discounts for Inman events and more
1-Step CheckoutPay with a credit card
By continuing, you agree to Inman’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

You will be charged . Your subscription will automatically renew for on . For more details on our payment terms and how to cancel, click here.

Interested in a group subscription?
Finish setting up your subscription
×