It depends on how you are conversating.

I'm gunna pronounce it the way I always have - offen.

There's a T in there. Off Ten.
Like there's a D in sandwich. Not sammich.

One of the joys that students of American English always discover is the countless pronunciation conventions that have nothing to do with how the specific letters in certain words are normally pronounced.

As an example, how might we pronounce “ghoti” based on some of those common conventions?

I pronounce the "T" in often but not in some other words like city names in the bay area and the rest of CA.

quote:

Originally posted by ScreamingCockatoo:
There's a T in there. Off Ten.
Like there's a D in sandwich. Not sammich.

It might not be proper, but to me a sammich sometimes means something simple and good like a BLT sammich or a PB&J sammich.

quote:

Originally posted by ScreamingCockatoo:

There's a T in there. Off Ten.
Like there's a D in sandwich. Not sammich.

I usually don't pronounce the 'k' in knee or know.

Off-ten is how this old redneck pronounces the word. I can't think of anyone in my family or circle of friends and acquaintences who pronounce it offen.

Bob

Well there's an S in ask too...
It's ASK not AKS(axe).

My mom was an English and History teacher.

SOOO, How in the blooming hell does Saint John become Sin Jin?
To stay on subject, offen.

I understand the pronunciation of Often with the silent T. I don't understand people who drop the Ts in other words though. It kind of pisses me off a little.

Have You Noticed People Not Pronouncing Their T’s?

Let's look at words similar to often:

Do you say Sof-Ten?

Fas-Ten?

Mois-Ten?

I pronounce it as it is written, hyphen nitrates a pause.

Often

There are nerdy, but interesting YouTube videos on the origins of our words.

Also: Daddy, that was a big ghoti you caught today! “Ghoti” is the gh of laugh, the o in women, and the ti in motion.

quote:

Originally posted by ftttu:
Also: Daddy, that was a big ghoti you caught today! “Ghoti” is the gh of laugh, the o in women, and the ti in motion.

Finally.