'El agua', why does it carry a masculine definite article?

Question

'El agua' ends with 'a', meaning its supposed to be feminine, but carries a masculine definite article. Why is this so?

'El agua' termina con 'a', es decir, se supone que es femenino, pero lleva un artículo definido masculino. ¿Por qué es esto así?

Answer 1

Do a search on el agua, this question has been asked at least two dozen times.

Use the search box directly underneath the "Ask a Question" button.

Answer 2

Compare to why we say an apple, rather than a apple, etc...