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When should whilst be used instead of while?

For example, should I use the first or the second sentence?

They don't do this whilst they do that.
They don't do this while they do that.

What would be correct?

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2 Answers

up vote 5 down vote accepted

I believe while and whilst are interchangeable, but whilst is more archaic and adds a nice flavoring to the sentence.

That being said, "whilst" doesn't seem to come up so often in the middle of a sentence as you had it there, so I would use "while" in that case, even though both are grammatically correct. Whilst seems more apt to be put at the beginnings of sentences, e.g.

Whilst going about my merry way I chanced upon a vagabond. Taking this serendipitous opportunity to satiate my bloodlust I decapitated him with a fork.

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while reading your answer claidiu with interest, i must add that whilst i agreed per se i much prefer the latter form, being as you say prettier on the page, on the tongue and in the minds eye. – iminei Mar 14 '11 at 19:22
Actually, I'm pretty sure that while has been around longer, and whilst was a derivative form. – Peter Olson Aug 8 '11 at 1:55
up vote 5 down vote

"Whilst" and "while" are interchangeable. The difference between the two is "whilst" is British English and "while" is American English.

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N.B. In British English, both are used (and they're essentially interchangeable). Similar to "among"/"amongst". – Neil Coffey Mar 14 '11 at 20:03

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