Legal Writing

The Difference Between ?While? and ?Whilst?

By Maeve

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.

See Among vs Amongst

The Difference Between “While” and “Whilst”

Full post as published by Daily Writing Tips on February 23, 2009 (boomark / email).