# "Often" - pronounced with or without the t? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 27, 2007, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/often-pronounced-with-or-without-the-t/427868 "2007-11-27T02:42:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/often-pronounced-with-or-without-the-t/427868/1 "2007-11-27T02:42:04Z")
I’m going to a speech clinic staffed by university students in their early 20s. I think they get graduate level coursework credits for this work. I’m more than twice their age. They asked me to practice with the word “often” and they both said it with the t. Like “of **t** ” followed by -en. Growing up in the '60s, I had learned to say it without the t: “offen.” When I asked them if young people nowadays all pronounce the t, they were surprised to be told that anyone didn’t pronounce it. Is this a generational difference? Did the spelling pronunciation take over in recent years? I’d be interesting in knowing–Do you pronounce the t in “often” or not, are you American, and what’s your age? ---
**Author:** ![OBJECTION](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/fbc32d/32.png) [@OBJECTION](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OBJECTION)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/often-pronounced-with-or-without-the-t/427868/2 "2007-11-27T02:46:58Z")
1. American, east coast, public school. I specifically recall being taught in school to pronounce it **without** the T. ---
**Author:** ![Runs\_With\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/278dde/32.png) [@Runs\_With\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Runs_With_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/often-pronounced-with-or-without-the-t/427868/3 "2007-11-27T02:48:07Z")
38, American, and I never pronounce the t. I do hear others pronounce it, though. ---
**Author:** ![Boozahol\_Squid\_P.I](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d9b06d/32.png) [@Boozahol\_Squid\_P.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boozahol_Squid_P.I)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/often-pronounced-with-or-without-the-t/427868/4 "2007-11-27T02:53:00Z")
25, East Coast American, raised by English parents. I pronounced it with the T when I was younger. As I’ve gotten older, it’s disappeared. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/often-pronounced-with-or-without-the-t/427868/5 "2007-11-27T02:54:35Z")
25, American, offen. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/often-pronounced-with-or-without-the-t/427868/6 "2007-11-27T02:59:20Z")
19 and American. Used to say it. Realized I didn’t say it in words like soften. Stopped saying it. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/often-pronounced-with-or-without-the-t/427868/7 "2007-11-27T03:03:32Z")
25, Irish. ofTen but I’m sure some people say offen and maybe even interchange a little bit. Here’s one “mirr” or “meerawr” for mirror? ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/often-pronounced-with-or-without-the-t/427868/8 "2007-11-27T03:07:10Z")
1. Southern Ontario. I say “offen” and “soffen”. And “meerurr”. 🙂 [Check out the vocal samples thread!](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=445112) This is prime material. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/often-pronounced-with-or-without-the-t/427868/9 "2007-11-27T03:09:22Z")
I am a 50 year-old American, originally from Maryland. I pronounce the “t,” but I am an English teacher and so pay great attention to my speech. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/often-pronounced-with-or-without-the-t/427868/10 "2007-11-27T03:17:50Z")
Oh, dash it all! Here we are again! ---
**Author:** ![fisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@fisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fisha)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/often-pronounced-with-or-without-the-t/427868/11 "2007-11-27T03:28:59Z")
I pronounce the T. My husband gives me shit about it consistently. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/often-pronounced-with-or-without-the-t/427868/12 "2007-11-27T03:32:04Z")
I say “offen.” All my dictionaries and grammar books prefer that form. One book calls pronunciation of the T “overnice.” It does seem to be a trend that words are more often pronounced as they’re spelled. Other overnice examples include clothes (with propnounced “TH”) and alms and almonds (with pronounced “L”). But on the other hand, I’ve yet to hear calf with pronounced “F.” ---
**Author:** ![emmaliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emmaliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emmaliminal)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/often-pronounced-with-or-without-the-t/427868/13 "2007-11-27T03:34:16Z")
I grew up saying the T, but had it beaten out of me in dialect class in acting college. I also had to learn not to aspirate the H in “when” etc. I’m 38, American, grew up in Ohio and Washington state. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/often-pronounced-with-or-without-the-t/427868/14 "2007-11-27T03:38:24Z")
Orphan. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/often-pronounced-with-or-without-the-t/427868/15 "2007-11-27T04:29:09Z")
offtin ---
**Author:** ![straykat23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@straykat23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/straykat23)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/often-pronounced-with-or-without-the-t/427868/16 "2007-11-27T04:34:26Z")
Really old. Northern California. “Offen,” “soffen,” and “mere ur.” ---
**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:** [November 27, 2007, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/often-pronounced-with-or-without-the-t/427868/17 "2007-11-27T04:37:18Z")
[QUOTE=Johnny L.A.] Orphan. 😉 [/QUOTE] “When you said “orphan”, did you mean “orphan”, a person who has lost his parents, or “often”, frequently?” — Gilbert ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/often-pronounced-with-or-without-the-t/427868/18 "2007-11-27T04:38:43Z")
Historically, without. Recently, with, possibly because a lot of people think the original pronunciation was a mistake. (I’m answering the question in the title, not the OP–that is, “is it pronounced this way” (by people in general) vs. “do you pronounce it this way”.) I am American, BTW, and I’m 21 years old. I’m pretty sure I don’t pronounce the T. My dad claims that he pronounces the T, because otherwise it’s “lazy English”–I think he really believes that he does, but that he’s lying to himself and to me. Haven’t ever paid enough attention to say for sure one way or the other. ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/often-pronounced-with-or-without-the-t/427868/19 "2007-11-27T04:46:15Z")
43, Mid-Atlantic US. Offen. No ‘t’. ---
**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:** [November 27, 2007, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/often-pronounced-with-or-without-the-t/427868/20 "2007-11-27T04:47:08Z")
Growing up in West Texas, I never pronounced the T in “often,” but my parents were both from elsewhere, so I don’t know if that was because of local usage or the household environment. But even there, I did hear many people pronounce the T. American Heritage dictionary has the following [Usage Note](http://www.bartleby.com/61/39/O0043900.html): “During the 15th century English experienced a widespread loss of certain consonant sounds within consonant clusters, as the (d) in \*handsome \* and _handkerchief_, the (p) in \*consumption \* and _raspberry_, and the (t) in \*chestnut \* and _often_. In this way the consonant clusters were simplified and made easier to articulate. With the rise of public education and literacy and, consequently, people’s awareness of spelling in the 19th century, sounds that had become silent sometimes were restored, as is the case with the _t_ in _often_, which is now frequently pronounced. In other similar words, such as \*soften \* and _listen_, the _t_ generally remains silent.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/often-pronounced-with-or-without-the-t/427868.md?page=2)