What is the difference between while and whilst?

Dr Michael Ford, London

• Hoad's etymology gives 'whilst' as a derivation of 'whiles', an adverbial form of 'while'. The 't' on the end is parasitic (cf. among~amongst, amid~amidst, etc.). 'Whilst' started to be used as a conjunction, equivalent to 'while', in the 13th century.

  In modern British English, 'whilst' is supposedly a more formal variant of 'while'. It is also, in my experience, particularly beloved of students who write bad essays.

  Dominic Watt, Department of Linguistics & Phonetics, University of Leeds

• As a British Midlander, I have some sympathy with earlier answers. However, my own bias has always been to generally use "while" for activities happening in parallel. "While I was preparing lunch, my wife was gardening." In contrast, I have used "whilst" where there is more of a contradiction. "Whilst it may be necessary or desirable to protect populations from cruel and corrupt governments, it is not necessarily our business to undertake regime change." Truly sorry about such a topical subject, but it's the best I could think of, and "while" would do perfectly well. I'm prepared to accept that any distinction is subtle at best-though I'd like to know what is generally accepted. Above all, if there is a genuine distinction, let's have it out, and not let good words go to waste or be corrupted. I await with trepidation the first dictionary to list "principal" and "principle" as synonyms, likewise "dependant" and dependent", etc.,etc. My car will continue to have tyres and I will not tire of driving it, darn you !

  Mike West, Hilperton, Wiltshire, UK

• My American boss just said to me that to an American 'whilst' isn't a word. I had said it to him as he was near my desk and I wanted to ask a question: "Whilst you are over here..." I thought about why I used the word, and it was because he wasn't already speaking to me. If he had already been speaking to me I think I would have said "while". I can't explain that in technical language. But if feels right. I can't see how that's pretentious. I certainly wouldn't have been showing off the use of my language to an American.

  Kath, Bath UK

• Having trawled through a number of forums without finding a definitive answer, it seems to me that one explanation offered that is most plausible is the idea that whilst should be used in close association with a verb. That is, while = during this time (emphasis on duration) vs. whilst = during this action (emphasis on action) This distinction may be too subtle and for that reason seem false, but as someone else has pointed out elsewhere, 'whilst' cannot be substituted for the noun form of 'while': "You would not use it for the noun form of while: “I’m going away for a whilst” is a no-no." http://blogs.library.duke.edu/answerperson/2005/05/31/whilst-v-while/ Perhaps someone with a more solid grounding in linguistics might explain why this is so.

  L Shen, New Zealand

• Well said, Kiwi! It is always from the colonials (as we were once known) that the finest understanding and usage of the English language may be had. Indian and Irish writers are proof of this. Also those Europeans for whom (like us) English was a second language, i.e. Joseph Conrad.

  Biddy, Galway Ireland

• "Whilst" has always struck me as a fancyfied form of "while" and one that allows excessive opportunity for spelling error. "While" is surely sufficient? And Mike West needs to curb his ire otherwise he might find his tyres hitting the kerb.

  Brian Smith, Radlett UK

• Thank you Dominic Watt. I'm reading an essay which uses 'whilst'. I know what mark to give it now.

  fjones, liverpool uk

• I noticed that a couple of people seemed to be using "whilst" sometimes as a marker of a subjunctive subtext. (Think "I might have tea (but I doubt I will)" as a subtext of the subjunctive usage. In my dialect of American English (Mountain West) "whilst" is not heard but "amongst" is very comfortable and widely accepted.

  Susan F, Uxbridge, Massachusetts, US

• My Japanese partner came into the room in a while ago, whilst I was reading all these explanations. She said that there must be a lot of bored people in the world. What on earth did she mean? Yours sincerely - Bored in New Zealand. Wait, Oh look!.. a sheep.

  Eugene, England