Do you experience a slight pause before using either of these words as you try to remember which one is correct and whether it should be preceded by an or a? If so, you’re not alone, for many people find this pair particularly tricky. Historic and historical are both occasionally found preceded by an, since the initial h in each word was formerly left unpronounced. Now this h is heard, and a is far more common than an (by a ratio of about 4 to 1 in American English).
Historic and historical have been used interchangeably by many writers, even in recent years. If you would like to avoid being corrected, however, use historical for matters relating to history (the historical society), and historic to refer to things having great and lasting importance (a historic occasion).
He strove for historical accuracy in the movie. The kings are listed in historical order.
Recent Examples on the WebTo its credit, the movie does acknowledge some of the story’s uglier historical context, including the fact that Dahomey became a rich nation by profiting off the transatlantic slave trade, selling African prisoners to European invaders. Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2022 This computer program was, somehow, expert in hermeneutics: interpretation through grammatical construction and historical context, the struggle to elucidate the nexus of meaning in time. Stephen Marche, The Atlantic, 15 Sep. 2022 To pretend that Titian’s work is devoid of political meaning is to ignore its historical context.WSJ, 11 Sep. 2022 Viewers today simply don’t have the historical context anymore. Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Sep. 2022 Alternatively, given the historical context of this funeral, the Websites of most major news will stream it live as well. Chris Morris, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2022 As a result, California's attorneys argued that the May case needed to be remanded, or sent back to the lower courts, for both parties to provide more evidence and historical context to determine the ban's constitutionality. Devika Rao, The Week, 8 Sep. 2022 By the next year, Cifaldi was working as the lead producer on the Mega Man Legacy Collection, which placed the first six Mega Man games in historical context. Bijan Stephen, The New Yorker, 1 Sep. 2022 Young people are often keenly aware of current events, and many look for historical context.New York Times, 17 Aug. 2022 See More