Why is t silent in often?

Why is t silent in often?

A: The short answer is that the “t” in many words is silent because it’s too difficult or awkward to pronounce and has become assimilated into the surrounding consonants. As we said in our blog posting about “often,” the word can be properly pronounced either with or without a “t” sound.

When did it become acceptable to pronounce the T in often?

This change took place around the 17th century. In the word ‘often’, the [t] sound later came to be re-inserted by some speakers as a spelling pronunciation.

Why do some people pronounce T?

The phenomenon itself is known as “T-glottalization.” It occurs when a speaker swallows the T sound in a word rather than speaking it aloud. We hear it when words like “kitten” and “water” are pronounced like “KIH-en” and “WAH-er.”

Is it OK to pronounce the T in often?

The \t\ is silent. Why? Often has a medial /t/ that, like similar words such has “hasten” and “soften,” was once pronounced and is now typically silent. Unlike the similar words, pronouncing the “t” in “often” has returned in some modern usage.

Is T silent in buffet?

Most Finns don’t know that the letter t in the form “buffet” is silent (and that the letter u is pronounced [y]) and are not sure how to decline this form because Finnish nouns don’t end in -t in the singular.

Is T pronounced in fasten?

The t in “fasten” is pronounced. It is not silent. The pronunciation rule for the t in “often” has changed over the past 300 years.

Why do Americans pronounce t’s like D’s?

The determination of the sound is usually in rhythm. Different English dialects have different rhythms for words, which causes letters to get assimilated, softened, and dropped. If you pronounce the t as t instead of d in a word like butter, the rhythm will be out of sync with American pronunciations.

Do Americans pronounce TH as D?

If you wish to poorly pronounce your words, you certainly may pronounce “th” as “d”. In General American English, when preceded by s or z sounds, these are still th (voiced or unvoiced alveolar fricatives). But they are more likely to be elided (lost, unspoken altogether) than converted to d.

How often do you pronounce the T in often?

Unlike the similar words, pronouncing the “t” in “often” has returned in some modern usage. This pronunciation is still scrutinized heavily and there is a divide between whether this is an educated or uneducated way of speaking. There’s a \\ in often play , but how often do you hear it?

Which is the correct pronunciation of the word t?

The pronunciation (ȯf-tən), which is not recognized in dictionaries, is now frequent in the south of England, and is often used in singing. The pronunciation ȯf-tən, until recently generally considered as more or less illiterate, is not uncommon among the educated in some sections, and is often used in singing.

Why is the T in the word often silent?

The \\ is silent. Why? Often has a medial /t/ that, like similar words such has “hasten” and “soften,” was once pronounced and is now typically silent. Unlike the similar words, pronouncing the “t” in “often” has returned in some modern usage.

When did people stop pronouncing the word often?

American Heritage has an interesting usage note after its entry for “often.” During the 15th century, it seems, English speakers stopped pronouncing some sounds within consonant clusters, making the language easier to articulate.