Oft is an old-fashioned word meaning “often” or “frequently.” You'll rarely hear anyone say it in everyday conversation, but you'll find it in older poems, literature, and formal writing.

When Shakespeare wrote “the course of true love never did run smooth” in A Midsummer Night's Dream, he might have added that true love is oft complicated. Writers used oft because it fit better into the rhythm of their poetry than the longer word “often.”

You'll still see oft used in certain compound words and phrases. An oft-repeated story is one people tell again and again. An oft-quoted line from a movie is one everyone seems to remember and say. The phrase oft-forgotten describes something people frequently overlook or fail to remember.

While oft sounds fancy or formal today, it's really just a shorter, older version of a word you already know. If you're writing poetry and need a word that fits better into your rhyme scheme or rhythm, oft might work well. In most regular writing and conversation, people simply use “often.”