Use of a or an before words beginning with h

Question:

How can I tell whether the article a or an goes before a word beginning with h? For example, should I say a holistic approach or an holistic approach?

Answer:

The answer to your question lies in the pronunciation of the h-word. When we pronounce the h at the beginning of the word, we use the indefinite article a (e.g. a hammer, a hair, a hat). When we don't pronounce the h at the beginning of the word, we use the indefinite article an (e.g. an heir, an hour, an honourable person).

Because we pronounce the h in holistic, we would say a holistic approach.