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Is it 'til or till?

I'm just getting confused on the correct spelling of the short version of until. Is it 'til or till? The first one looks correct to me and the latter reminds me of a machinary or old english. So which is correct? 'Til or till?

15 Answers

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  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    I have seen both used. I think either is acceptable.

  • schupp
    Lv 4
    5 years ago

    Til Or Till

  • 1 decade ago

    'til is correct for the short version of until. As in " 'til death do us part" in a wedding.

    Till (with 2 L's) means to plough the soil.

  • 7 years ago

    Till came first. Until came later. In the USA, it is common to see 'til used as a shortened version of until, however according to some dictionaries, this is technically incorrect usage.

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  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    It's 'til, because 'til is short for until, not untill.

    But till is a word as well. (Till the soil... count the till in the change drawer... etc...)

  • Win S
    Lv 4
    1 decade ago

    'til is correct. Since you're omitting the first two letters, the ' symbol takes their place, just like in a contraction (i.e.- can not = can't).

    BTW- "till" refers to a small box for collecting money (i.e.- "Place your donation in the till.") although it's not commonly used anymore in America.

  • 6 years ago

    both are correct. until is derived from TILL and 'til is derived from UNTIL. in order TILL came before UNTIL and 'TIL came after. all three are correct usages. 'til is more common in the USA and TILL is more common in EUROPE and what not.

  • 8 years ago

    It's actually "till", which dates back to the 14th century.

    'Until' is actually a derivative of 'till'. It appears to have been formed by the addition of Old Norse "und" meaning ‘as far as’, several hundred years after the date of the first records for till.

  • When you're talking about a period of time that must lapse before something happens, "till" and "until" are equivalent. Don't believe it? Check a dictionary. "Till" actually came first, and "until" followed more recently.

    We spun in circles until we were dizzy.

    We ran till we were breathless.

    " 'Til" is also an acceptable shortened form of "until," but the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language says the form is “etymologically incorrect.”

    If you want to avoid controversy, it's safest to stick with "until."

  • 1 decade ago

    'til unless you are looking to steal money from the till

  • 1 decade ago

    'til but it's really only proper in a nursery rhyme or poem

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