I think "of-ten" is a regionalism. The same people seem to say "warshing machine."

According to the OED (1st print ed.), the t pronuciation became popular in the South of England towards the end of the 19th century. I think of the US t pronuciation as a hypercorrection.

There's a fourth option (and the one I would have chosen) which is that I pronounce it either way depending on mood and circumtance.

You better be careful, RE! This is the second open-minded, spontaneous posting I've read of yours today! You're going to change your reputation soon if you're not careful!

Thank you Richard, I stopped short of Eboli.
I've added your suggested choice for symmetry.

quote:

often ... How do you pronounce it?

The Victorian pronunciation, revealed:

GENERAL STANLEY: Tell me, have you ever known what it is to be an orphan?
PIRATES: (disgusted) Oh, dash it all!
PIRATE KING: Here we are again!
I ask you, have you ever known what it is to be an orphan?
. . . .Often!
Yes, orphan. Have you ever known what it is to be one?
. . . .I say, often.
ALL: (disgusted) Often, often, often. (Turning away)
I don't think we quite understand one another. I ask you, have you ever known what it is to be an orphan, and you say "orphan". As I understand you, you are merely repeating the word "orphan" to show that you understand me.
. . . .I didn't repeat the word often.
Pardon me, you did indeed.
. . . .I only repeated it once.
True, but you repeated it.
. . . .But not often.
Stop! I think I see where we are getting confused. When you said "orphan", did you mean "orphan",a person who has lost his parents, or "often", frequently?
. . . .Ah! I beg pardon- I see what you mean -- frequently.
Ah! you said "often", frequently.
. . . .No, only once.
(irritated) Exactly- you said "often", frequently, only once.

Reviving a thread...
Nathan Bierma's column today was answering people's questions about language. Interestingly, most of them we have discussed here before, such as "irregardless;" "nauseous" versus "nauseated;" "I could care less;" and "try and do," rather than "try to." Someone also brought up how people are pronouncing "fifth" without the second "f," but I am assuming Wordcrafters never would do that.

However, regarding the pronunciation of "often," Bierma said that American English speakers who pronounce it with the "t" may be imitating common British pronunciation.

He also said that during the 16th and 17th Centuries English experienced a widespread loss of consonants, such as the "d" in "handsome" and "handkerchief," and the "p" in raspberry, and the "t" in "chestnut" and "often." Bierma goes on to say that because of the spelling, people have the tendency to restore the sounds.

I don't say those consonants sharply, but I think I do say them softly. I especially say the "t" in "chestnut."

I think my varying elision has to do with whether a vowel or a consonant follows it.

I pronounce "often" with the "t" silent because I had an English teacher in high school who was rabid about it. Here in Ohio, we often hear it pronounced either way.

I have Kentucky roots, lived most of my life in Southern Ohio, and did not realize that people outside the southern U.S. find the expression "might could," as in "I might could do that," to be pretty weird.