The Student Room Group

How do you pronounce 'garage' and 'often'?

In an idle moment I've just wondering if there is some sort of north/south divide on these two?

I'm from Brum and say 'garridge' and usually 'often' but sometimes 'offen'.

Do southerners say something like garaaaarge, with the final g like the s in 'Asia'?

Odd question I know :smile:

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Reply 1

I say Garridge and Offen, sometimes Often, same as you.

Reply 2

gar-radge and of-ten.

some peopel do say garage as gar ridge but everyone round here says often with the T.

i'm from the south.

Reply 3

I pronounce garage as 'gar-arge' and often as 'off-tun' and I live in Dudley (heart of black country!!)

Reply 4

I say "garaaaage" and "often", and I'm from the South-east. I know it sounds incredibly naïve, but I can't even imagine often without the "t".. :p:

Reply 5

As a Londoner, more like gar-raj (I didn't quite get your Asia thing).

I say 'often' at the end of a sentence, but 'offen' otherwise.

Reply 6

Same as you, OP.
I wouldn't say I had a particular accent though lol, even though I live in Yorkshire.

Reply 7

Garridge and offen. Black Country here (nottt Brummie), whey.

Reply 8

Off my parents who were brought up in Hertforshire and Herefordshire (and I've lived in Surrey and Berkshire):

"Gah-raj" (emphasis first syllable).
"Offen".

Reply 9

Definitely "garridge" and "of-ten".

Reply 10

Garridge and Both(It really doesn't sound that much different when I say it :biggrin:) and I'm from London.

Reply 11

why would you say often without the T? i can understand garage being said differently - but often? stop butchering the language with your gash accents!

Reply 12

Garridge and Often. From the South East.

Reply 13

Clubber Lang
why would you say often without the T? i can understand garage being said differently - but often? stop butchering the language with your gash accents!
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20060706193650AAmjRiw here's some answers.

I say offen (but afaik it's either/either neither/neither etc), and garridge (and sammich for sandwich lol) but then I'm from Aus so I can't add much to this!

Reply 14

garaaaaage and of-ten.

Reply 15

I say 'offen' as well. Mind you, I don't actually have an English accent at all, so I really don't think it matters whether you say off-ten or off-en. You can say it as both:

Merriam-Webster says:
\ˈȯ-fən, ÷ˈȯf-tən\

Reply 16

I live down in Wiltshire, yet say 'garridge' and 'offen' :s-smilie:

Reply 17

Segat1
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20060706193650AAmjRiw here's some answers.

I say offen (but afaik it's either/either neither/neither etc), and garridge (and sammich for sandwich lol) but then I'm from Aus so I can't add much to this!


Saying offen just sounds lame and northern to me.

Reply 18

I'm from London or near enough, I say 'ga-rudge' and 'off-ten'

Reply 19

gharidge & offun.