# often

> English word · Adverb · IPA /ˈɒfən/ · frequency rank #379

## Definitions
1. Frequently; many times on different occasions.

## 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”).
Cognates
Cognate with Scots affen, aften, af'en, oaffen, oaften, oftin (“often”), North Frisian aaft, oftem, oofting (“often”), Saterland Frisian oafte (“often”), German, Luxembourgish and Pennsylvania German oft (“often”), Yiddish אָפֿט (oft, “often”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål and Norwegian Nynorsk ofte (“often”), Faroese, Swedish ofta (“often”), Icelandic oft (“often”), Gothic 𐌿𐍆𐍄𐌰 (ufta, “often”).

## Easily confused with
- **open** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/often-vs-open)
- **oven** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/often-vs-oven)
- **Owen** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/often-vs-owen)
- **omen** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/often-vs-omen)
- **oxen** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/often-vs-oxen)
- **Oren** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/often-vs-oren)
- **outer** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/often-vs-outer)
- **Olsen** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/often-vs-olsen)
- **otter** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/often-vs-otter)
- **Orton** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/often-vs-orton)
- **Ogden** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/often-vs-ogden)
- **olden** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/often-vs-olden)
- **oft** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/oft-vs-often)
- **offer** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/offer-vs-often)
- **Oates** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/oates-vs-often)
- **offend** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/offend-vs-often)
- **Ofsted** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ofsted-vs-often)

## Common misspellings (7)
`foten`, `ofetn`, `offten`, `oftenn`, `oftne`, `oftten`, `otfen`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/often