different between while vs whilst

English

Etymology

From Old English hw?l, from Proto-West Germanic *hw?lu, from Proto-Germanic *hw?l? (compare Dutch wijl, Low German Wiel, German Weile), from Proto-Indo-European *k?yeh?- (“to rest”). Cognate with Albanian sillë (“breakfast”), Latin tranquillus, Sanskrit ??? (cirá), Persian ???? (š?d).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?a?l/, /wa?l/
• (in accents without the "wine-whine" merger)
• (in accents with the "wine-whine" merger)
• Rhymes: -a?l

Noun

while (plural whiles)

1. An uncertain duration of time, a period of time.

   It’s a long while since anyone lived there, so it’s a ruin now.

Synonyms

• spell; see also Thesaurus:uncertain period

Related terms

• in a while
• once in a while
• while loop

Translations

Conjunction

while

1. During the same time that.
   • 1948, Carey McWilliams, North from Mexico / The Spanish-Speaking People of The United States, J. B. Lippincott Company, page 25,

     While De Anza was exploring the Bay of San Francisco, seeking a site for the presidio, the American colonists on the eastern seaboard, three thousand miles away, were celebrating the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
2. Although.
   • 2013 September 28, Kenan Malik, "London Is Special, but Not That Special," New York Times (retrieved 28 September 2013):

     While Britain’s recession has been deep and unforgiving, in London it has been relatively shallow.

3. (Northern England, Scotland) Until.

4. As long as.
   • 1725, Isaac Watts, Logick, or The Right Use of Reason in the Enquiry After Truth With a Variety of Rules to Guard

     Use your memory; you will sensibly experience a gradual improvement, while you take care not to load it to excess.

5. (media, public policy) Used to denote an individual experiencing racial profiling when performing a seemingly benign activity.

Usage notes

• See whilst.

Synonyms

• (during the same time that): whilst; see also Thesaurus:while
• (although): as much as; see also Thesaurus:even though
• (until): till; see also Thesaurus:until
• (as long as): provided that, providing, so long as

Translations

Preposition

while

1. (Northern England, Scotland) Until.

   • I may be conveyed into your chamber; I'll lie under your bed while midnight.

Verb

while (third-person singular simple present whiles, present participle whiling, simple past and past participle whiled)

1. (transitive) to while away the time / hours; to pass (time) idly

   Synonyms: idle, laze, lounge
2. To loiter.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Spectator to this entry?)

   Synonyms: hang around, linger

3. (transitive) To occupy or entertain (someone) in order to let time pass.

Synonyms

• (loiter): see also Thesaurus:loiter

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

English

Alternative forms

• whilest (obsolete)
• whylst (obsolete)
• whylest (obsolete)

Etymology

From whiles +? -t. Surface analysis while +? -st (“excrescence”). Cognate with West Frisian wylst (“whilst”). More at whiles.

Pronunciation

• (General American, Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /wa?lst/, /hwa?lst/
• (UK) IPA^(key): /w??lst/

Conjunction

whilst

1. (Britain, rare or literary in North America) While, at the same time.

   Synonyms: while; see also Thesaurus:while

Usage notes

In American English, whilst is considered to be pretentious or archaic. Penguin Working Words recommends while only, and notes that whilst is old-fashioned. Cambridge Guide to English Usage and M-W's Webster's Guide to English Usage comment on its regional character, and note that it is rare in American usage. It is thus safer to use only while in international English. The American Heritage Guide writes that, "while using whilst runs the risk of sounding pretentious, it can sometimes add a literary or ironically formal note to a piece of writing".

Translations

Further reading

• while on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• whilst in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• Douglas Harper (2001–2021) , “whilst”, in Online Etymology Dictionary
• “whilst”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–present.