Often pronunciation
Often has 2 syllables. The stress is on the first syllable, "aw". Capital letters in the respelling show where the stress falls.
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Often syllables
Often has 2 syllables: AW-fuhn.
- AWɔ
- fuhnfən
AWF-un, with the t silent, is the traditional pronunciation. Sounding the t, AWF-tun, is now very common and accepted, though some still consider it a spelling pronunciation. Either is fine.
Sounds to watch
Weak syllables
The unstressed syllables use a short, relaxed uh (schwa). Rushing through them lightly is correct; giving them a full vowel sounds unnatural.
Often in a sentence
- We often walk to the harbour after dinner.
- How often does the train run on a Sunday?
Read either sentence into the recorder above. The check judges only the target word, so the rest of the sentence can be rough.
What Speakeroo listens for
These are the pronunciation patterns from Speakeroo’s speech feature catalog that this target tends to expose. The check above reports the ones it hears.
- Extra syllable addedBlend adjacent sounds and avoid pronouncing silent letters.
- Vowel influenced too strongly by spellingLearn the sound using IPA and audio rather than pronouncing every written vowel.
- Final consonant omittedHold the final mouth position briefly without adding another vowel.
- Schwa not reducedRelax unstressed vowels toward a short neutral sound.
- Every syllable stressed equallyEmphasise one main syllable and reduce the others.
Questions
How do you pronounce often?
Often is pronounced /ˈɔ.fən/, or AW-fuhn in plain letters. It has 2 syllables and the stress falls on the first syllable, "aw".
How many syllables are in often?
2: AW-fuhn. The capital letters mark the stressed syllable.
How do you use often in a sentence?
We often walk to the harbour after dinner. How often does the train run on a Sunday?
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