Oftentimes and often - Mixed messages and misused words from A to Z

Oftentimes and often - Mixed messages and misused words from A to Z

OMG. I cannot stand it when people use oftentimes in writing. OK, it’s not technically incorrect, but it’s still not a mark of good writing.

It’s one of those built-in redundancies. The definition of often already implies the element of time. As a result, oftentimes is at least partially repetitive. It’s like saying you get up at 7 am in the morning on weekday days.

Which is right, oftentimes or often times?

Although neither is really wrong, it’s better to keep it simple and use often instead. Or pick a super synonym, such as frequently, usually, or habitually. Even time and again is often better than oftentimes.

Image/s:

Misused word pair

Created by this user

At CoolText

 Abused and misused word graphics

adapted from public domain artwork

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