in American English, etc. Just memorization, I guess. I have no special fondness for Rs, but I can't think of a silent one off hand (not meaning the rhotic/non-rhotic thing). I'm sure there are such animals. BarbituRates is another example of one that gets wrongly dropped a lot. Michael on March 11, 2011 4:18 am At the risk of further infuriating somebody, 'off-ten' is quite an acceptable pronunciation of 'often' in British English. Michael on March 11, 2011 4:22 am Charles & venqax, At the risk of further infuriating one or the both of you, in British English 'off-ten' is quite an acceptable pronunciation of 'often' and 'Wednesday' can be pronounced with the d voiced gently (i.e., at the back of the mouth). The t in 'mortgage' is, however, never voiced Michael on March 11, 2011 4:23 am Sorry for the double up there. Charles Kratz on March 11, 2011 4:57 am Michael, I'm not offended nor am I infuriated. I am also not referring to British English. I am talking about American English. The colonies split from the mother country over two centuries ago. What you do there is your own business. Here it is a) incorrect and b) ignorant to pronounce the "t" in often -- which, of course, does NOT mean that one does not hear it that way and hear it frequently. We have rubes in this country, too. Saying "Wed -- nes -- day" in public here would undoubtedly elicit laughter. I'm sorry. I don't