People often ask which is the correct synonym of until: till, ’til, or ’till?
Many assume that till is an abbreviated form of until. Actually, it is a distinctive word that existed in English at least a century before until, both as a preposition meaning “to” and a conjunction meaning “until.” It has seen continuous use in English since the 12th century and is a perfectly legitimate synonym of until.
’Til and ’till are much newer words, having appeared in the language only in the 19th and 20th centuries, respectively. Both are variant spellings, either of until or of till. Writers of usage guides have roundly condemned ’till as a barbarism (apparently because it seems to have added a superfluous l to the end of until). ’Til, for its part, has been deemed inappropriate in formal writing.
To sum up: until and till can be used freely and interchangeably, but you will probably want to avoid ’till and use ’til advisedly.
Example Sentences
Conjunction We played until it got dark. Keep going until I tell you to stop. I ran until I was breathless. Stay here until the danger has passed. Stir the dough until it forms a ball.
Recent Examples on the Web
Preposition
Julie Benko, who had been slated to play Fanny on Thursdays in the revival, will be performing the role now until Michele is back. Mark Kennedy, USA TODAY, 12 Sep. 2022 Gaoteote, Mel Tucker’s first four-star signing in the 2021 class, didn’t get in until the game was well in hand. Chris Solari, Detroit Free Press, 11 Sep. 2022 Julie Benko, who had been slated to play Fanny on Thursdays in the revival, will be performing the role now until Michele is back.CBS News, 11 Sep. 2022 Someday, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich will be in the Hall as well; the NBA's all-time wins leader doesn't want to be considered until his career is over. Tim Reynolds, Chron, 11 Sep. 2022 And while some wanted a polish that could dry in under 20 minutes, others were okay with building up the polish until the color was right and waiting out the dry time. Alyssa Brascia, Peoplemag, 11 Sep. 2022 Someday, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich will be in the Hall as well; the NBA's all-time wins leader doesn't want to be considered until his career is over. Tim Reynolds, Journal Sentinel, 10 Sep. 2022 Those waiting on President Joe Biden’s widespread student loan forgiveness have around a month until the application for the one-time relief will be available, according to the most recent update from the U.S. Department of Education. Alicia Adamczyk, Fortune, 10 Sep. 2022 Fed officials, including Chair Jerome Powell, have all reaffirmed the central bank's determination in raising rates until inflation is under control. Alex Veiga, BostonGlobe.com, 9 Sep. 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Preposition
Middle English, from un- (probably from Old Norse *und up to; akin to Old Norse unz up to, until, Old High German unt, Old English ende end) + til, till till