Wikimore

English

Etymology

Cognates

Cognate with Scots affen, aften, af'en, oaffen, oaften, oftin (“often”), North Frisian aaft, oftem, oofting (“often”), Saterland Frisian oafte (“often”), German, Luxembourgish and Pennsylvania German oft (“often”), Yiddish אָפֿט (oft, “often”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål and Norwegian Nynorsk ofte (“often”), Faroese, Swedish ofta (“often”), Icelandic oft (“often”), Gothic 𐌿𐍆𐍄𐌰 (ufta, “often”).

Pronunciation

(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɒfən/, /ˈɒftən/, (East Anglia, Traditional RP) /ˈɔːfən/, /ˈɔːftən/Category:English 2-syllable words#OFTEN Category:English 2-syllable words#OFTEN Category:English 2-syllable words#OFTEN Category:English 2-syllable words#OFTEN Category:English terms with IPA pronunciation#OFTEN
(General American) IPA^(key): /ˈɔfən/, /ˈɔftən/Category:English 2-syllable words#OFTENCategory:English 2-syllable words#OFTENCategory:English terms with IPA pronunciation#OFTEN
- (cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /ˈɑfən/, /ˈɑftən/Category:English 2-syllable words#OFTEN Category:English 2-syllable words#OFTEN Category:English terms with IPA pronunciation#OFTEN
(Canada) IPA^(key): /ˈɒfən/, /ˈɒftən/Category:English 2-syllable words#OFTEN Category:English 2-syllable words#OFTEN Category:English terms with IPA pronunciation#OFTEN
Audio (US, cot–caught merger): (file)
Category:English terms with audio pronunciation#OFTEN
Historically, the /t/ was pronounced but the current pronunciation was standardized after it stopped being pronounced (as in, e.g., listen, soften, glisten). Therefore, the modern forms where the /t/ is pronounced (compare oft) are spelling-influenced pronunciations. The traditional /t/-less form is considered by many to be more correct for that reason.Category:English spelling pronunciations#OFTEN
Homophone: orphan (non-rhotic, lot–cloth split)Category:English terms with homophones#OFTEN
Rhymes: -ɒfən, -ɒftən Category:Rhymes:English/ɒfən#OFTEN Category:Rhymes:English/ɒfən/2 syllables#OFTEN Category:Rhymes:English/ɒftən#OFTEN Category:Rhymes:English/ɒftən/2 syllables#OFTEN
Hyphenation: oft‧en

Adverb

often (comparative more often or oftener, superlative most often or oftenest)Category:English lemmas#OFTEN Category:English adverbs#OFTEN Category:English entries with incorrect language header#OFTEN Category:Pages with entries#OFTEN Category:Pages with 2 entries#OFTEN

Frequently; many times on different occasions.
Synonyms: a lot, (archaic except US) oftentimes, typically; see also Thesaurus:often

Antonyms: infrequently, occasionally, rarely, seldom, (literary except India) unoften; see also Thesaurus:rarely

I often walk to work when the weather is nice.Category:English terms with usage examples#OFTEN

I’ve been going to the movies more often since a new theatre opened near me.Category:English terms with usage examples#OFTEN

It can't be said too often / often enough.Category:English terms with usage examples#OFTEN
- 1791, John Walker, A Critical Pronouncing Dictionary […] ‎, London: Sold by G. G. J. and J. Robinſon, Paternoſter Row; and T. Cadell, in the Strand, →OCLC, page 557:
  ☞ This word [wrap] is often pronounced wrop, rhyming with top, even by ſpeakers much above the vulgar.
  Category:English terms with quotations#OFTEN
- 1850, T. S. Arthur, “A Rise in the Butter Market”, in Sketches of Life and Character‎, Philadelphia: J. W. Bradley, →OCLC, page 59:
  How often is the comfort of a whole family abridged by some trifling circumstance, that ought not to have made a visible impression!
  Category:English terms with quotations#OFTEN
- 1912, P. Chalmers Mitchell, “Larvæ and Metamorphoses”, in The Childhood of Animals‎, New York: Frederick A. Stokes Company, →OCLC, page 17:
  Although frogs are able to swim well and often are found in water, they are really land animals.
  Category:English terms with quotations#OFTEN
- 2013 June 8, “Obama goes troll-hunting”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8839, page 55:
  According to this saga of intellectual-property misanthropy, these creatures [patent trolls] roam the business world, buying up patents and then using them to demand extravagant payouts from companies they accuse of infringing them. Often, their victims pay up rather than face the costs of a legal battle.
  Category:English terms with quotations#OFTEN

Derived terms

Related terms

oft

Translations

frequently, many times

Category:Entries with translation boxes#OFTEN

Afrikaans: dikwels (af)Category:Terms with Afrikaans translations#OFTEN
Albanian: shpesh (sq)Category:Terms with Albanian translations#OFTEN, dendur (sq)Category:Terms with Albanian translations#OFTEN
Arabic: كَثِيرًا (kaṯīran)Category:Terms with Arabic translations#OFTEN, غَالِبًا (ḡāliban)Category:Terms with Arabic translations#OFTEN, كَثِيرًا مَا (kaṯīran mā)Category:Terms with Arabic translations#OFTEN, غَالِبًا مَا (ḡāliban mā)Category:Terms with Arabic translations#OFTEN, طَالَمَا (ṭālamā)Category:Terms with Arabic translations#OFTEN
Moroccan Arabic: بالزاف (b-ez-zāf)Category:Terms with Moroccan Arabic translations#OFTEN, غالبا (ḡāliban)Category:Terms with Moroccan Arabic translations#OFTEN, غالبا ما (ḡāliban ma)Category:Terms with Moroccan Arabic translations#OFTEN
Armenian: հաճախ (hy) (hačax)Category:Terms with Armenian translations#OFTEN
Azerbaijani: tez-tez (az)Category:Terms with Azerbaijani translations#OFTEN
Bashkir: йыш (yış)Category:Terms with Bashkir translations#OFTEN
Basque: maizCategory:Terms with Basque translations#OFTEN
Belarusian: ча́ста (částa)Category:Terms with Belarusian translations#OFTEN
Bengali: প্রায়ই (bn) (praẏoi)Category:Terms with Bengali translations#OFTEN
Breton: alies (br)Category:Terms with Breton translations#OFTEN
Bulgarian: че́сто (bg) (čésto)Category:Terms with Bulgarian translations#OFTEN
Burmese: မကြာခဏ (my) (ma.krahka.na.)Category:Terms with Burmese translations#OFTEN, ခဏခဏ (my) (hka.na.hka.na.)Category:Terms with Burmese translations#OFTEN, ခုတင်ခု (my) (hku.tanghku.)Category:Terms with Burmese translations#OFTEN
Catalan: sovint (ca)Category:Terms with Catalan translations#OFTEN
Chinese:
Cantonese: 好多時 / 好多时 (hou² do¹ si⁴)Category:Cantonese terms with redundant transliterations#OFTEN Category:Terms with Cantonese translations#OFTEN, 成日 (yue) (seng⁴ jat⁶)Category:Terms with Cantonese translations#OFTEN, 經常 / 经常 (ging¹ soeng⁴)Category:Terms with Cantonese translations#OFTEN

Mandarin: 經常 / 经常 (zh) (jīngcháng)Category:Terms with Mandarin translations#OFTEN, 常常 (zh) (chángcháng)Category:Terms with Mandarin translations#OFTEN, 時常 / 时常 (zh) (shícháng)Category:Terms with Mandarin translations#OFTEN, 往往 (zh) (wǎngwǎng)Category:Terms with Mandarin translations#OFTEN
Comorian:
Ngazidja Comorian: naɗiCategory:Terms with Ngazidja Comorian translations#OFTEN
Cornish: menowghCategory:Terms with Cornish translations#OFTEN, yn fenowghCategory:Terms with Cornish translations#OFTEN, lies gweythCategory:Terms with Cornish translations#OFTEN, lieskweythCategory:Terms with Cornish translations#OFTEN, lower gweythCategory:Terms with Cornish translations#OFTEN
Czech: často (cs)Category:Terms with Czech translations#OFTEN
Dakota: s'aCategory:Terms with Dakota translations#OFTEN, ižehaŋCategory:Terms with Dakota translations#OFTEN
Danish: ofte (da)Category:Terms with Danish translations#OFTEN, hyppigt (da)Category:Terms with Danish translations#OFTEN
Dutch: vaak (nl)Category:Terms with Dutch translations#OFTEN, dikwijls (nl)Category:Terms with Dutch translations#OFTEN, menigmaal (nl)Category:Terms with Dutch translations#OFTEN
Elfdalian: kringgtCategory:Terms with Elfdalian translations#OFTEN
Esperanto: ofte (eo)Category:Terms with Esperanto translations#OFTEN
Estonian: tihtiCategory:Terms with Estonian translations#OFTEN, sageli (et)Category:Terms with Estonian translations#OFTEN
Finnish: usein (fi)Category:Terms with Finnish translations#OFTEN, monesti (fi)Category:Terms with Finnish translations#OFTEN, (informal) monta kertaa (fi)Category:Terms with Finnish translations#OFTEN
French: souvent (fr)Category:Terms with French translations#OFTEN, souventefois (fr)Category:Terms with French translations#OFTEN (archaic)
Galician: a miúdoCategory:Terms with Galician translations#OFTEN, frecuentemente (gl)Category:Terms with Galician translations#OFTEN, seguidoCategory:Terms with Galician translations#OFTEN
Georgian: ხშირად (xširad)Category:Terms with Georgian translations#OFTEN, ხშირ-ხშირად (xšir-xširad)Category:Terms with Georgian translations#OFTEN
German: häufig (de)Category:Terms with German translations#OFTEN, oft (de)Category:Terms with German translations#OFTEN
Gothic: 𐌿𐍆𐍄𐌰 (ufta)Category:Terms with Gothic translations#OFTEN
Greek: συχνά (el) (sychná)Category:Terms with Greek translations#OFTEN
Ancient Greek: πολλά (pollá)Category:Terms with Ancient Greek translations#OFTEN, πολλάκις (pollákis)Category:Terms with Ancient Greek translations#OFTEN
Haitian Creole: souvanCategory:Terms with Haitian Creole translations#OFTEN
Hebrew: לְעִתִּים קְרוֹבוֹת (l'itím k'rovót)Category:Terms with Hebrew translations#OFTEN
Hindi: प्रायः (hi) (prāyaḥ)Category:Terms with Hindi translations#OFTEN, अक्सर (hi) (aksar)Category:Terms with Hindi translations#OFTEN
Hungarian: gyakran (hu)Category:Terms with Hungarian translations#OFTEN, sűrűn (hu)Category:Terms with Hungarian translations#OFTEN, sokszor (hu)Category:Terms with Hungarian translations#OFTEN
Icelandic: oft (is)Category:Terms with Icelandic translations#OFTEN, ósjaldanCategory:Terms with Icelandic translations#OFTEN, iðulegaCategory:Terms with Icelandic translations#OFTEN, oftlegaCategory:Terms with Icelandic translations#OFTEN, títtCategory:Terms with Icelandic translations#OFTEN, þrá- (is)Category:Terms with Icelandic translations#OFTEN
Ido: ofte (io)Category:Terms with Ido translations#OFTEN
Indonesian: sering (id)Category:Terms with Indonesian translations#OFTEN
Ingrian: tihtiiCategory:Terms with Ingrian translations#OFTEN
Interlingua: soventeCategory:Terms with Interlingua translations#OFTEN
Irish: go minicCategory:Terms with Irish translations#OFTEN
Italian: spesso (it)Category:Terms with Italian translations#OFTEN, sovente (it)Category:Terms with Italian translations#OFTEN
Japanese: よく (ja) (yoku)Category:Terms with Japanese translations#OFTEN, 度々 (ja) (たびたび, tabitabi)Category:Terms with Japanese translations#OFTEN, 頻繁に (ja) (ひんぱんに, hinpan-ni)Category:Terms with Japanese translations#OFTEN, しばしば (ja) (shibashiba)Category:Terms with Japanese translations#OFTEN
Javanese: kerep (jv)Category:Terms with Javanese translations#OFTEN, asringCategory:Terms with Javanese translations#OFTEN
Kashubian: czãstoCategory:Terms with Kashubian translations#OFTEN
Kazakh: жиі (jiı)Category:Terms with Kazakh translations#OFTEN, жиі-жиі (jiı-jiı)Category:Terms with Kazakh translations#OFTEN
Khmer: ញឹកញាប់ (ñɨk ñŏəp)Category:Terms with Khmer translations#OFTEN
Kikuyu: kaingĩCategory:Terms with Kikuyu translations#OFTEN
Korean: 수시로 (ko) (susiro)Category:Terms with Korean translations#OFTEN, 자주 (ko) (jaju)Category:Terms with Korean translations#OFTEN, 흔히 (ko) (heunhi)Category:Terms with Korean translations#OFTEN
Kurdish:
Central Kurdish: گەلێ جار (gelê car)Category:Terms with Central Kurdish translations#OFTEN, زۆر جار (zor car)Category:Terms with Central Kurdish translations#OFTEN, بارەھا (bareha)Category:Terms with Central Kurdish translations#OFTEN
Kyrgyz: жыш (ky) (jış)Category:Terms with Kyrgyz translations#OFTEN, тез-тез (tez-tez)Category:Terms with Kyrgyz translations#OFTEN
Ladin: suënzCategory:Terms with Ladin translations#OFTEN, suvënzCategory:Terms with Ladin translations#OFTEN (gherdëina), gonotCategory:Terms with Ladin translations#OFTEN (badiot)
Ladino: akorutoCategory:Terms with Ladino translations#OFTEN
Lao: ຄ້ອຍ (khǭi)Category:Terms with Lao translations#OFTEN, ຈະໄຈ້ (cha chai)Category:Terms with Lao translations#OFTEN, ບ່ອຍ (bǭi)Category:Terms with Lao translations#OFTEN
Latin: saepe (la)Category:Terms with Latin translations#OFTEN, saepenumerōCategory:Terms with Latin translations#OFTEN
Latvian: biežiCategory:Terms with Latvian translations#OFTEN
Lithuanian: dažnai (lt)Category:Terms with Lithuanian translations#OFTEN
Livonian: saggõldCategory:Terms with Livonian translations#OFTEN
Low German: oft (nds)Category:Terms with Low German translations#OFTEN, faken (nds)Category:Terms with Low German translations#OFTEN, vakenCategory:Terms with Low German translations#OFTEN
Luxembourgish: dacks (lb)Category:Terms with Luxembourgish translations#OFTEN, oftCategory:Terms with Luxembourgish translations#OFTEN
Macedonian: често (često)Category:Terms with Macedonian translations#OFTEN
Malay: sering (ms)Category:Terms with Malay translations#OFTEN, kerap (ms)Category:Terms with Malay translations#OFTEN, selalu (ms)Category:Terms with Malay translations#OFTEN
Maltese: spissCategory:Terms with Maltese translations#OFTEN
Māori: putuputuCategory:Terms with Māori translations#OFTEN, pūputuCategory:Terms with Māori translations#OFTEN
Marathi: बहुधा (bahudhā)Category:Terms with Marathi translations#OFTEN, खूपदा (khūpdā)Category:Terms with Marathi translations#OFTEN, खूप वेळा (khūp veḷā)Category:Terms with Marathi translations#OFTEN, बर्‍याचदा (bar‍yācdā)Category:Terms with Marathi translations#OFTEN, अनेकदा (anekdā)Category:Terms with Marathi translations#OFTEN, पुष्कळदा (puṣkaḷdā)Category:Terms with Marathi translations#OFTEN, बर्‍याच वेळा (bar‍yāc veḷā)Category:Terms with Marathi translations#OFTEN, अनेक वेळा (anek veḷā)Category:Terms with Marathi translations#OFTEN
Mongolian: байн байн (bajn bajn)Category:Terms with Mongolian translations#OFTEN, үргэлж (mn) (ürgelž)Category:Terms with Mongolian translations#OFTEN
Norwegian: ofte (no)Category:Terms with Norwegian translations#OFTEN, hyppig (no)Category:Terms with Norwegian translations#OFTEN
Ojibwe: moozhagCategory:Terms with Ojibwe translations#OFTEN
Old English: oftCategory:Terms with Old English translations#OFTEN
Old Norse: optCategory:Terms with Old Norse translations#OFTEN
Persian: اغلب (fa) (aġlab)Category:Terms with Persian translations#OFTEN, بارها (fa) (bârhâ)Category:Terms with Persian translations#OFTEN
Plautdietsch: foakenCategory:Terms with Plautdietsch translations#OFTEN
Polish: często (pl)Category:Terms with Polish translations#OFTEN
Portuguese: frequentemente (pt)Category:Terms with Portuguese translations#OFTEN, seguido (pt)Category:Terms with Portuguese translations#OFTEN, amiúde (pt)Category:Terms with Portuguese translations#OFTEN
Romanian: des (ro)Category:Terms with Romanian translations#OFTEN
Romansh: savensCategory:Terms with Romansh translations#OFTEN
Russian: ча́сто (ru) (částo)Category:Terms with Russian translations#OFTEN, зачасту́ю (ru) (začastúju)Category:Terms with Russian translations#OFTEN, часте́нько (ru) (časténʹko)Category:Terms with Russian translations#OFTEN (colloquial)
Scots: aftenCategory:Terms with Scots translations#OFTEN
Scottish Gaelic: gu tricCategory:Terms with Scottish Gaelic translations#OFTEN, tricCategory:Terms with Scottish Gaelic translations#OFTEN
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: че̑стоCategory:Terms with Serbo-Croatian translations#OFTEN

Latin: čȇsto (sh)Category:Terms with Serbo-Croatian translations#OFTEN
Slovak: často (sk)Category:Terms with Slovak translations#OFTEN
Slovene: pogósto (sl)Category:Terms with Slovene translations#OFTEN
Sorbian:
Lower Sorbian: cestoCategory:Terms with Lower Sorbian translations#OFTEN
Spanish: a menudo (es)Category:Terms with Spanish translations#OFTEN, frecuentemente (es)Category:Terms with Spanish translations#OFTEN, seguido (es)Category:Terms with Spanish translations#OFTEN, con frecuenciaCategory:Terms with Spanish translations#OFTEN, soler (es)Category:Terms with Spanish translations#OFTEN (verb)
Swahili: mara nyingiCategory:Terms with Swahili translations#OFTEN
Swedish: ofta (sv)Category:Terms with Swedish translations#OFTEN
Tagalog: madalasCategory:Terms with Tagalog translations#OFTEN
Tajik: зич (zič)Category:Terms with Tajik translations#OFTEN, ағлаб (aġlab)Category:Terms with Tajik translations#OFTEN
Tamil: அடிக்கடி (ta) (aṭikkaṭi)Category:Terms with Tamil translations#OFTEN, பலநேரம் (palanēram)Category:Terms with Tamil translations#OFTEN, அவ்வப்பொழுது (avvappoḻutu)Category:Terms with Tamil translations#OFTEN
Tatar: еш (yış)Category:Terms with Tatar translations#OFTEN
Telugu: తరచూ (taracū)Category:Terms with Telugu translations#OFTEN, తరచుగా (te) (taracugā)Category:Terms with Telugu translations#OFTEN
Thai: บ่อย (th) (bɔ̀i)Category:Terms with Thai translations#OFTEN
Turkish: sık (tr)Category:Terms with Turkish translations#OFTEN, sık sık (tr)Category:Terms with Turkish translations#OFTEN
Turkmen: aglaba (tk)Category:Terms with Turkmen translations#OFTEN, ýygyCategory:Terms with Turkmen translations#OFTEN, ýygy-ýygydanCategory:Terms with Turkmen translations#OFTEN
Ukrainian: ча́сто (uk) (částo)Category:Terms with Ukrainian translations#OFTEN
Urdu: اکثر (aksar)Category:Terms with Urdu translations#OFTEN
Uzbek: tez-tez (uz)Category:Terms with Uzbek translations#OFTEN, ko’pinchaCategory:Terms with Uzbek translations#OFTEN
Vietnamese: thường (vi)Category:Terms with Vietnamese translations#OFTEN, hay (vi)Category:Terms with Vietnamese translations#OFTEN, luôn (vi)Category:Terms with Vietnamese translations#OFTEN, thường hay (vi)Category:Terms with Vietnamese translations#OFTEN
Volapük: suvo (vo)Category:Terms with Volapük translations#OFTEN
Walloon: sovint (wa)Category:Terms with Walloon translations#OFTEN
Welsh: yn amlCategory:Terms with Welsh translations#OFTEN, yn fynychCategory:Terms with Welsh translations#OFTEN
Woiwurrung: mel-booCategory:Terms with Woiwurrung translations#OFTEN
Yiddish: אָפֿט (oft)Category:Terms with Yiddish translations#OFTEN

Adjective

often (comparative more often, superlative most often)Category:English lemmas#OFTEN Category:English adjectives#OFTEN Category:English entries with incorrect language header#OFTEN Category:Pages with entries#OFTEN Category:Pages with 2 entries#OFTEN

(archaic Category:English terms with archaic senses#OFTEN) Frequent.
- c. 1598–1600 (date written), William Shakespeare, “As You Like It”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i]:
  […] it is a melancholy of mine own, compounded of many simples, extracted from many objects, and, indeed, the sundry contemplation of my travels; in which my often rumination wraps me in a most humorous sadness.
  Category:English terms with quotations#OFTEN
- 1618, Anthony Munday (translator), The Third Booke of Amadis de Gaule by Nicolas de Herberay des Essarts (1542), London, Chapter 2, p. 18,
  Then came the Ladies to visite him, and the Queene gaue him most gracious welcome, desiring him to be of good cheere: For heere is my Daughter (quoth she) right skilfull in the Art of Chirurgerie, that meanes to bee your often visitant.
- 1656, John Bunyan, chapter 48, in Solomon’s Temple Spiritualiz’d‎, London: George Larkin, published 1688, page 113:
  The Shew-bread by an often remove, and renewing, was continually to stand before the Lord in his House […]
  Category:English terms with quotations#OFTEN

Middle English

Alternative forms

offen, ouften

Etymology

From ofte.

Wikimore

often

English

Etymology

Pronunciation

Adverb

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Adjective

See also

Middle English

Alternative forms

Etymology

Pronunciation

Adverb

Descendants

References