often

Meaning

Adv

Frequently; many times.

Adj

Frequent.

Hyphenated as

oft‧en

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈɒf(t)ən/

Etymology

From Middle English often, alteration (with final -n added due to analogy with Middle English selden (“seldom”)) of Middle English ofte, oft, from Old English oft (“often”), from Proto-Germanic *ufta, *uftō (“often”). Cognate with Scots oftin (“often”), North Frisian oftem (“often”), Saterland Frisian oafte (“often”), German oft (“often”), Pennsylvania German oft (“often”), Danish ofte (“often”), Norwegian Bokmål ofte (“often”), Norwegian Nynorsk ofte (“often”), Swedish ofta (“often”), and Icelandic oft (“often”).

Sentences

He had a great memory for poetry and often quoted it at length .

The bases for these sculptures often are set in soil taken from these places .

The exact shape of the cavity is often dependent on how many lamps are used .

These often favour the major parties and discriminate against smaller , regional parties .

This is the main reason why pesto recipes often differ from each other .

The diminished seventh contains two diminished fifths , which often resolve inwards .