# How do you pronounce "often?" **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 30, 2010, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-often/537866 "2010-04-30T14:33:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-often/537866/41 "2010-04-30T20:06:09Z")
> [@Lobsang](#): > > I am absolutely sure that everyone who doesn’t pronounce the ‘t’ knows this, and that is the sole reason they don’t pronounce it. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![SMullen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@SMullen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SMullen)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-often/537866/42 "2010-04-30T20:21:10Z")
Off’n. Originally I’m from Southeastern Washington State. I’ve hammered at various quirks in my speech over the years, but I’m pretty sure I’ve always said “often” that way. I think my sister, who was raised with me, says “off-ten”, though. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-often/537866/43 "2010-04-30T20:26:11Z")
Boy, there’s really no geographical correlation to this, is there? ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-often/537866/44 "2010-04-30T21:52:26Z")
> [@DMark](#): > > The “t” is silent - and I am originally from Illinois, but as you can see from location, have moved around a bit. > > For those who do pronounce the “t” - do you also pronounce the “t” when saying the word “soften”? or “listen”? Sorry- “Off-tin” sounds ignorant to this former Southern Californian. . ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-often/537866/45 "2010-04-30T21:53:22Z")
> [@badbadrubberpiggy](#): > > I use both, but think I use “OFF-ten” more…often. From New Hampshire. Yeah, what’s with “tin” in the poll instead of “ten”? There’s no “i” in the word. Like most people I know, I say it how it’s spelled. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-often/537866/46 "2010-04-30T21:58:09Z")
Although I chose “off-in”, it would be more accurate to say it is “off-n” (vocalic “n”). When I looked in my dictionary that was the only pronunciation offered. That astonishes me since just about every Canadian pronounces the “t”, which drives me nuts. But growing up in Philadelphia, I don’t think I ever heard “off-ten”. But Canadians have other pronunciation quirks, eh? ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-often/537866/47 "2010-04-30T22:09:49Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Yeah, what’s with “tin” in the poll instead of “ten”? There’s no “i” in the word. Like most people I know, I say it how it’s spelled. Because it is in an unstressed syllable, so the [ɛ] shifts towards a schwa. Many people mishear this as [ɪ], and many exaggerate the shift until it actually is [ɪ]. And I say off-en. I was taught that saying the T was a sign you were a hick. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-often/537866/48 "2010-04-30T23:08:29Z")
> [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](#): > > Offen. > There’s a couple of American nuns who would get out of their graves to strangle me if I thought of pronouncing the T. They only moved the headstones? ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-often/537866/49 "2010-04-30T23:57:50Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > The “correct” (i.e., original) pronunciation is “offen.” For some reason, scribes added the “t” (possibly misreading “offen”) and people began to pronounce it the way it was misspelled. Not according to the Oxford English Dictionary. It has various spellings, but none without the “t”. In addition, “often” started of as a form of the word “oft”. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2010, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-often/537866/50 "2010-05-01T01:15:01Z")
Whichever way I feel like. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2010, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-often/537866/51 "2010-05-01T02:16:09Z")
I don’t know any more. I think I used to say the “t”, then learned it wasn’t supposed to be pronounced, and tried to drop it, but now the dictionary shows both pronunciations. ETA: I blame the descriptivists. ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2010, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-often/537866/52 "2010-05-01T02:23:47Z")
With a “t”. English. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2010, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-often/537866/53 "2010-05-01T02:31:42Z")
No “t”. From central IN. However, I’ve heard both there. The t pronounced sounds pretentious and haughty to me. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2010, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-often/537866/54 "2010-05-01T02:36:49Z")
More “Offin” than not, I pronounce it “offin”, if I try to pronounce the “t” it sounds more like a “d” than a “t”. And the 2nd syllable sounds more like “end” than “en”. Perhaps, I have a bias towards “D’s”. ---
**Author:** ![Sonnenstrahl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Sonnenstrahl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sonnenstrahl)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2010, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-often/537866/55 "2010-05-01T02:37:39Z")
I try not to say the “t” but if often - uh, frequently - slips out. I guess that’s the more common pronunciation that I hear. (Western Canada) Of the two priests at my church, one says it and one doesn’t. Against my will I listen for it every week, at the “Those who have much faith and those who have little, those who come here **often** and those who come seldom…” part of the Eucharist. I cringe whenever the one priest says “off-ten.” I can’t help it, even though I say it that way myself sometimes. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2010, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-often/537866/56 "2010-05-01T02:47:21Z")
OFF-in. West Texas. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2010, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-often/537866/57 "2010-05-01T05:19:57Z")
OFF-en. N.E. Ohio. ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2010, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-often/537866/58 "2010-05-01T06:12:51Z")
Anchorage, by way of Washington state. I say it with the t pronounced, but softly more of a d than a t. ---
**Author:** ![calm\_kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@calm\_kiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/calm_kiwi)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2010, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-often/537866/59 "2010-05-01T12:24:16Z")
OffTen ---
**Author:** ![TheFifthYear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@TheFifthYear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheFifthYear)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2010, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-often/537866/60 "2010-05-01T17:38:54Z")
OFF-in. Chicago. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-often/537866.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-often/537866.md?page=4)