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often

 
Dictionary: of·ten   (ô'fən, ŏf'ən, ôf'tən, ŏf'-) pronunciation
adv., -er, -est.
Many times; frequently.

[Middle English, alteration (probably influenced by selden, seldom) of oft, from Old English.]

USAGE NOTE   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.


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Thesaurus: often
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adverb

    In an expected or customary manner; for the most part: commonly, consistently, customarily, frequently, generally, habitually, naturally, normally, regularly, routinely, typically, usually. Idioms: as usual, per usual. See big/small/amount, usual/unusual.

Antonyms: often
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adv

Definition: frequently
Antonyms: infrequently, never, rarely, seldom


Word Tutor: often
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pronunciation

IN BRIEF: Many times; frequently.

pronunciation Appearances often are deceiving. — Aesop (620-560 BC), Greek writer, Aesop’s Fables: animal stories illustrating human challenges.

Translations: Often
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Dansk (Danish)
adv. - ofte

idioms:

  • as often as    så ofte som
  • as often as not    ganske ofte
  • more often than not    oftest

Nederlands (Dutch)
vaak, dikwijls

Français (French)
adv. - souvent

idioms:

  • as often as    aussi souvent que
  • as often as not    le plus souvent
  • more often than not    le plus souvent

Deutsch (German)
adv. - oft

idioms:

  • as often as    genauso oft wie
  • as often as not    genauso oft wie nicht
  • more often than not    meistens

Ελληνική (Greek)
adv. - συχνά

idioms:

  • as often as    κάθε φορά που
  • as often as not    τις μισές περίπου φορές, συχνότατα
  • more often than not    συνηθέστατα, συχνότατα, τις περισσότερες φορές

Italiano (Italian)
spesso

idioms:

  • as often as    ogni volta che
  • as often as not    generalmente, di frequente
  • more often than not    quasi sempre

Português (Portuguese)
adv. - freqüentemente, muitas vezes

idioms:

  • as often as    sempre que
  • as often as not    quantas vezes
  • more often than not    tantas vezes

Русский (Russian)
часто

idioms:

  • as often as    не реже чем
  • as often as not    нередко
  • more often than not    большей частью

Español (Spanish)
adv. - a menudo, frecuentemente, muchas veces

idioms:

  • as often as    siempre que, cada vez que, con tanta frecuencia como
  • as often as not    la mitad de las veces
  • more often than not    la mayoría de las veces

Svenska (Swedish)
adv. - ofta, många gånger

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
时常, 常常

idioms:

  • as often as    每当, 每次, 像...一样地多次
  • as often as not    往往, 多半
  • more often than not    时常

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
adv. - 時常, 常常

idioms:

  • as often as    每當, 每次, 像...一樣地多次
  • as often as not    往往, 多半
  • more often than not    時常

한국어 (Korean)
adv. - 종종

idioms:

  • as often as    ~할 때마다, ~번이나
  • as often as not    이따금

日本語 (Japanese)
adv. - しばしば

idioms:

  • as often as    …するたびごとに
  • as often as not    しばしば

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(ظرف) غالبا, كثيرا ما‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adv. - ‮פעמים רבות, תכופות, לעתים קרובות‬


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rarely
Goodwin, Jim (Quotes By)
Miles, William Porcher (Quotes By)

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