From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishoftenof‧ten /ˈɒfən, ˈɒftən $ ˈɒːf-/ ●●● S1 W1 adverb 1 OFTENif something happens often, it happens regularly or many times SYN frequently She often works at the weekend. If you wash your hair too often, it can get too dry. How often do you see your parents?quite/very often I quite often go to Paris on business. Robin is a difficult child; you’ve said so yourself often enough (=a lot of times).it is not often (that) It’s not often that a government minister will admit to being wrong.2 OFTENif something happens often, it happens in many situations or cases It’s often difficult to translate poetry.very/quite often Very often children who behave badly at school have problems at home.3 → all too often4 → every so often5 → as often as notTHESAURUSoften used when saying that something happens many timesGary was often bad-tempered in the morning.We often meet up for a drink after work.a lot informal oftenI think she likes him – she talks about him a lot.His wife goes abroad on business a lot.frequently especially written often – used especially in writing or more formal EnglishPassengers complain that trains are frequently late.Older patients frequently forget to take their medicine.regularly often, especially at regular intervalsBuses run regularly every ten minutes.again and again used to emphasize that someone does something many times, or the same thing happens many timesShe told herself again and again that everything would be all right.Gunfire rang out across the city again and again.repeatedly especially written used to emphasize that someone does something many timesHis doctor had repeatedly warned him not to work so hard.constantly/continually often over a long period of time – used especially about something that is annoying or causes problemsThey seem to be continually arguing.It’s hard to keep up with technology when it’s constantly changing.time and time again many times – used when this is annoying or does not have any effectHe forgets his keys time and time again.I tell students time and time again to keep careful notes.to often happen or do somethingtend to do something to often do a particular thing and be likely to do itDave tends to arrive late so don’t worry.Girls tend to be better at languages than boys.have a tendency to do something to often do something, especially something that is not good, and be more likely to do it than other people or thingsSome people have a tendency to put on weight.This type of cloth has a tendency to shrink.be inclined to do something to do something fairly often or be fairly likely to do it, especially because this is part of your characterTeenage boys are inclined to take risks.She was inclined to giggle in class.have a habit of doing something used when saying that something has happened many times before and is likely to happen againBen had a habit of coming home drunk.Life has a habit of surprising people.be prone to something to be more likely to have problemsSome older computer systems were prone to go wrong.The fitter you are, the less you are prone to injury.plants that are prone to disease GRAMMAR: Word order• Often usually comes before a verb: I often go to bed late.• Often usually comes after the verb ‘be’: She is often late. • Often usually comes after an auxiliary verb such as ‘do’ or ‘have’: I have often wondered what happened to him.• Often is used at the beginning of a sentence, especially when something seems surprising: Often I don’t go to bed until 2 a.m. • Often is also used at the end of a sentence: Do you go to bed late often?
Examples from the Corpus
often• "Have you ever been to the China Moon Café?" "Yes -- we go there quite often."• I have a cell phone, but I don't use it very often.• Dad wasn't often angry so I knew something terrible must have happened.• Book publishers have created Internet sites before, but they often are heavily promotional, resembling order catalogs.• I often caught myself staring into a mirror, wondering who that was staring back.• The information is all there, but it's often difficult to find it.• He often got me out of bed, late on an evening, to run an errand.• Institutions often have their own expectations, and provided all are agreed within an institution the teacher may draw on them.• It's not often I get the chance to go to the movies.• The veins are often only a metre or two wide.• Investors often repurchase those shares during the first few days of the new year.• I often see her walking past with the children on the way to school.• In modern mills, grain is stored in silos which are often separate from the mill and near to a bulk intake point.• They serve this function probably more often than the one they were created for.• It's not often that you see a grass snake these days -- they've become quite rare.• Rosi often works till 7 or 8 o'clock in the evening.it is not often (that)• When he does, he will accept that it is not often enough.• However, because of the nature of the cases concerned in summary trial, it is not often given.• For this reason it is not often possible to achieve a reduction in space requirement by using an inverted file.• As with most areas of sociological study, it is not often that a simple and unproblematic definition can be established.• There is a smaller bedroom and a tiny, suspiciously tidy kitchen, which looks as if it is not often used.very/quite often• Postage stamps from the famed, tiny republic of San Marino are very often bought as souvenirs or gifts.• Timing in introducing new specimens can very often determine whether they will be accepted by the others or torn to pieces.• These pretty little fish are quite often found in empty conch shells.• In fact, the essential concepts of science are very often neither.• When their car is taken, they suffer, at the very least, considerable inconvenience and very often substantial financial loss.• Threats and punishments very often succeed in scaring an aggressive child into changing his ways.• It is very often the intangible and indeterminate savings which provide to be of major significance. 2.• Fortunately he doesn't turn up very often these days.Origin often (1200-1300) oft 