German · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "oft" in German?

Q: How do you pronounce oft in German?

oft is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /ɔft/. It means “often.” OFT. A short rounded o with a small glottal catch in front, then a clean ft cluster.

OFT. A short rounded o with a small glottal catch in front, then a clean ft cluster.

oft /ɔft/

The short vowel gives the word no room to spread. The comparative fronts the vowel to ö — öfter — which is a small surprise, since nothing about the base form suggests it, and the stress stays exactly where it is while the vowel changes identity.

Listen: oft

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Sound it out

o Short and rounded, close to the vowel in British hot, and preceded by a light glottal stop because the word begins on a vowel.

ft Two consonants with no vowel between them, both fully pronounced and the t clearly released.

Hear it in a sentence

Ich gehe oft ins Kino.

I often go to the cinema.

Listen: Ich gehe oft ins Kino.

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Ich gehe oft ins Kino uses ins, the compulsory contraction of in and das, with the accusative marking movement into the cinema rather than presence inside it. Gehe ends in a schwa and oft begins on a vowel, so German inserts a small catch between them instead of gliding across.

Where English speakers slip

The word looks and sounds close to English often, which makes the vowel easy — the real risk is the join. Learners glide gehe straight into oft, producing 'gay-hoft', where German keeps the two apart with a glottal catch. The comparative is the other thing to remember: öfter, with a front-rounded vowel that appears from nowhere.