While or Whilst?

[Daedalus]

I am confused when to use whilst and when to use while. When I read my friends write 'whilst' in a sentence, I can never figure out why, or why 'while' would've been wrong.

I'm guessing 'while' is more accepted, even when 'The Rules' say it should be 'whilst', and there's probably differences between American and British English as well, but I'd like to know if there's any rules for it.

[SweetSerendipity]

I was unable to find any rules for using while over whilst and vice versa, but it seems that they are supposed to be interchangeable. Whilst is used more often in British, Canadian, and Australian English, but it is basically obsolete in American English. Whilst seems to be preferred over while in formal writing or academic writing, and in literary works. So to answer your question, your choice of using while or whilst depends a lot on where you are and if you are speaking or writing formally.

[SarahRTW]

Sweet Serendipity is correct. They are essentially the same.  Here in Canada, people generally say while.  "Whilst" is an older form of the word and more or less obsolete.  It is used sometimes in formal writing or speeches. 

On a side note, there are other words with similar forms too among/amongst; amid/amidst etc.

MY SOURCES:

http://www.theguardian.com/notesandqueries/query/0,5753,-5498,00.html

http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-whi2.htm

[Daedalus]

I see 'whilst' being used a lot here in the UK, even by younger people in Facebook statuses, so that's what got me thinking, but it's good to know there's no rule behind it.

Also thanks for bringing up 'amongst', I was similarly confused about that, so I'm glad I don't have to worry about that anymore

[sayitwell]

I am in the States and I've never heard anyone use "whilst" only "while".  I don't think it is a big deal to people from England though.  They use either of the versions it sounds like.  If I was surrounded by people who used the "whilst" form then I probably would use it also.

[LauraM]

I'm also in the U.S. and I never hear or see anyone from the U.S. using "whilst." 

Online, I do find that people use it.  I see it occasionally in social media -- as others have mentioned on this thread -- and in blog posts.  When I do see it, I take it as indicative that the writer is from the UK, and typically that turns out to be the case.

On a side note, there are other words with similar forms too among/amongst; amid/amidst etc.

Yes.  Also: unbeknownst / unbeknown 

Does anyone know of other such pairs of words? 

[ghanashyam]

I shall use it this way.

While I am cycling, I come across that corner.

Whilst cycling, I come across that corner.

[DiesIrae]

Nice. I thought whilst was just old English because I think I've seen it in older literature. I didn't know it was a word that is used in English-speaking countries except the US. I think I might have also encountered it in one of my fantasy games which is why I've always associated it with older times.

[MyDigitalpoint]

Yes, certainly both terms are just the same, and it's true that whilst is rarely used in the United States but still understood.

In English writing, you mus better use while though, unless you are writing for a British audience.

[AdamDavis14]

They are both the same thing. I am English, born in the UK and I always seen both ways in English. Even an English teacher would say that they are both the same. I like using "whilst" quite a bit but for me it depends on concept. For example, "while I was waiting in the queue". "Whilst I took the pencil out of my bag....". So I use whatever depending on the situation but it is the same if you are going to swap round the words. "Whilst I was waiting in the queue". I think whilst sounds more familiar to me though.

[JessiFox]

I don't run across it too often here in the US, though it seems it is used pretty often in some other countries. I'm not sure there are meticulous rules about when it is or is not acceptable.

[MVent_20]

I usually hear "whilst" being used by my British and Australian friends.

While or whilst can be used interchangeably IF used as a conjunction.

--> Sarah drank her tea [during the time that] her son played the piano.

Sarah drank her tea while her son played the piano.

Sarah drank her her tea whilst her son played the piano.

If you're using while as a noun, you cannot use "whilst" of course.

That would be totally weird.

--> Stay here for a while.

Stay here for a whilst. (Funny, right?)

When unsure, I think it's safer to use WHILE.

[Miya]

I've (pretty much) lived in America all my life and I've never used "whilst". Sometimes I see people use it on the internet, but even then it's not as common as "while".

[calticitron]

I am no English teacher but I would assume that "while" and "whilst" are both acceptable and pertain to the same meaning. It just depends on who uses it, as the word "while" might be more American, and "whilst" as more British.

[SpiralArchitect]

I shall use it this way.

While I am cycling, I come across that corner.

Whilst cycling, I come across that corner.

I've never seen whilst used in the way you did. It should be "Whilst cycling, I came across that corner.", in my opinion.

[LauraM]

I usually hear "whilst" being used by my British and Australian friends.

While or whilst can be used interchangeably IF used as a conjunction.

--> Sarah drank her tea [during the time that] her son played the piano.

Sarah drank her tea while her son played the piano.

Sarah drank her her tea whilst her son played the piano.

If you're using while as a noun, you cannot use "whilst" of course.

That would be totally weird.

--> Stay here for a while.

Stay here for a whilst. (Funny, right?)

When unsure, I think it's safer to use WHILE.

Yes, that's a good point "while" can also be used as a noun signifying an interval of time and in that case it is not interchangeable with "while" used as a conjunction.  Thanks for bringing that up as it can save a lot of confusion.

This is yet another example of English words that have multiple meanings and/or are used as various parts of speech; in this case both conjunction and noun. 

The word "while" can also be used to mean the "although" and, similarly, would not be interchangeable with "whilst" as in these examples. 

While the new phone was adequate, many users still preferred the previous version.

While the textbook was more than 800 pages long, it was well-organized and useful.

[Evelyne]

I've heard it sometimes in the US when people want to make themselves sound more intelligent or more formal.