Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
The English Language has around 44 distinct sounds. A list I found online gives the letter combination ft as one of the spellings for the F sound. But, the example the list has for ft is often. I want to survey the people here: What part of the country are you in and do you pronounce the t in the word often? I'm in the northern part of Florida and I tend to say off-ten.
FWIW, the long standard pronunciation in England and the US was to treat the T as silent. Pronouncing the T arose with what might be called "spelling pronunciation".
I'm in Southern California and I don't pronounce the -t- in often, but I do hear it, mostly from people younger than me (I'm 54). I agree that it's a spelling pronunciation or hypercorrection.
No one, however, seems to pronounce the -t- in soften.
I’m from Washington state and a millennial and I pronounce the T, I always assumed not pronouncing it was improper, like saying Aks instead of Ask.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
