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| | § 141. often. 7. Pronunciation Challenges. The American Heritage Book of English Usage. 1996 (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-01) |
 | | Simplification of consonant clusters has been an ongoing process in the history of English, but during the 15th century English experienced a widespread loss of consonants, as the d in handsome and handkerchief, the p in consumption and raspberry, and the t in chestnut and often. |
 | | Because of the influence of spelling, however, there is sometimes a tendency to restore sounds that have become silent, as is the case with often, which is now commonly pronounced with the t. |
 | | Curiously, in other words such as soften and listen, the t generally remains silent. |
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