While vs. Whilst

While vs. Whilst While vs. Whilst While vs. Whilst By Maeve Maddox A reader asks: what is the difference between while and whilst? Both while and whilst have been in the language for a very long time. While was in use in Old English; whilst is a Middle English development of while. As conjunctions they are interchangeable in meaning, but whilst has not survived in standard American English. I waited whilst Mugabe delivered what he thought were his pearls of wisdom I waited while breakfast was finished. To the American ear whilst sounds quaint. Some British and Canadian speakers think it sounds literary or old-fashioned, but many British speakers prefer it to while. Here are some quotations from newspapers: Why do flies gather inside a room, whilst bees and butterflies somehow avoid the open door or window? Jill Shimwell, Bebington(www.theguardian.com) has become the first major casualty of England’s World Cup campaign after dislocating his right shoulder while running near the team’s base on the Gulf of Finland. The England manager suffered the injury while jogging (www.theguardian.com) sheriff’s deputies in Kansas who were shot while transporting inmates from a jail to a court hearing on Friday died of their injuries, the police in Kansas City, (www.nytimes.com) agency that takes custody of children separated from their parents, have said that the children will not be reunited while their parents remain in custody. But reunification demands will increase as more parents are released from (www.latimes.com) See Among vs Amongst Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:10 Rules for Writing Numbers and NumeralsBody Parts as Tools of MeasurementWhen Is a Question Not a Question?