Often vs. OffTen & Other Silent Letters
The t in often is a silent letter.
This mistake has grown to epidemic – maybe even pandemic – proportions. The number of people who are screwing it up is almost beyond control, but maybe this book can help turn the tide and bring the pronunciation back to where it belongs. It’s been mispronounced so offTen that some people are even saying it’s acceptable… but it’s not!
Merriam-Webster lists the pronunciation of the t as non-standard, although they include it in their audio samples. I want to be clear on this: it’s a “non-standard pronunciation,” not an alternative one. It’s their way of being kind while saying it’s wrong. They do this often – calling it a non-standard pronunciation – with words that are commonly mispronounced.
Many say that pronouncing the t in often is another example of people using hypercorrection, because they think it sounds more formal – similar to people saying, “between you and I” when they should say “between you and me.” It’s not more formal, and it doesn’t make you sound more intelligent.
Here’s an easy way to remember the correct pronunciation: How do you say the word soften? Exactly! You would NEVER pronounce the t in soften. That’s how you pronounce often… without the t.
You’d also never pronounce the silent t in the words listen, hasten, or fasten… or the silent l in salmon, half or would. Try it and see just how ridiculous it sounds.
By pronouncing often with a silent t, you’ll never create a “silent cringe,” so stick with the correct, traditional pronunciation of often. And remember what your mother always said… “If all your friends jumped off a bridge, would you do it, too?” Just because many others say it doesn’t make it right.
In summary: The first step in fixing a problem is awareness. You are now aware!
Other silent letters
Now, I have to say that, by far, often seems to be the most abused of all the words with silent letters. But while we’re on the subject, let’s talk about them a bit because lots of words have silent letters.
Would you ever pronounce the ‘d’ in Wednesday? Of course, you wouldn’t. You’d sound like an idiot… any day of the week!
Some silent letters are at the beginning of the word, as in knife or write. Try pronouncing them with the silent letter included. See? It sounds pretty stupid, and it’s difficult to say, too!
There are also silent letters at the end of words, as in solemn, comb, or faux. And then there are other words where the silent letters are very subtle. (See what I did there?) 😉
Sometimes silent letters are contained within the word, as in receipt, rendezvous, sriracha (one of my favorite sauces), raspberry, and often! Just know that if you’re one of those people who pronounce the t in often, there are a bunch of people who immediately feel the silent cringe. I’m not saying their judgment is right, but you should know it happens.
Here’s a tip: If you’re ever not sure how to pronounce a word correctly, do an internet search by typing the word followed by definition, like this:
In the search bar type: often definition
You’ll get results from several dictionary sources and each will have a little speaker icon (or two). Click on that icon and it’ll pronounce the word for you. Check several different dictionary sources. Some are beginning to include non-standard pronunciations, mainly to point out the mistake because there are so many people saying it incorrectly. Don’t be one of them… please!
And, if after reading this chapter you still think it’s okay to pronounce certain silent letters, to that I say, “Bologna!”
Excerpt from the book: Smarten the F*ck Up!
© Copyright 2023 Dave Bastien
Smarten the F*ck Up! uses plain English and humor to help people fix the common mistakes they’ve been making their entire lives.