different between whilst vs hile

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.

English

Etymology 1

Noun

hile (plural hiles)

1. (botany) hilum

Etymology 2

Noun

hile (plural hiles)

1. (old South-West England dialect) A bundle of sheaves of wheat (or similar crop) stacked vertically to dry; a stook.

Verb

hile (third-person singular simple present hiles, present participle hiling, simple past and past participle hiled)

1. (old South-West England dialect) To form sheaves into a hile.

References

Anagrams

• Heil, Ihle, Lehi, elhi, heil, heli-

Albanian

Noun

hile f (indefinite plural hile, definite singular hilja, definite plural hilet)

1. trick, cheat

Related terms

• skile

Finnish

Noun

hile

1. small ice crystal (usually in plural), often found floating in air
2. glitter

Declension

Derived terms

• hileinen

Anagrams

• Heli

French

Etymology

Latin hilum

Pronunciation

• ^{(aspirated h)} IPA^(key): /il/

Noun

hile m (plural hiles)

1. hilum

Further reading

• “hile” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Middle English

Noun

hile (uncountable)

1. Alternative form of yle

Spanish

Verb

hile

1. First-person singular (yo) present subjunctive form of hilar.
2. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted^?) present subjunctive form of hilar.
3. Formal second-person singular (usted) imperative form of hilar.

Turkish

Etymology

From Arabic ????? (??la, “trickery”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /çi?le/

Noun

hile (definite accusative hileyi, plural hileler)

1. deceit, ruse, trick
2. adulteration (with the intent of deceiving buyers)

Declension

References

• hile in Turkish dictionaries at Türk Dil Kurumu