While vs wile
While usually means at the same time as, or names a period of time, as in after a while. Wile is a noun for a clever trick meant to fool someone.
While, the time word, has an h like hour. Wile, the trick, has none.
while conjunction
At the same time as something else is happening.
- While the committee debated, the audience grew restless.
- I listened to the radio while I waited for the bus.
wile noun
A clever trick or scheme used to fool or trap someone.
- The fox relied on every wile it knew to lure the hens from their coop.
- She saw through his wiles at once.
Watch out
- While is also a noun for a period of time, short or long. It is still spelled with an h.After a while, the noise from the street finally died down.
- When you spend time in a slow, relaxed way, the traditional phrase is while away. Some dictionaries also accept wile away, but while away is the safer choice.Travelers often while away the layover browsing the airport shops.
- Wile can also be a verb meaning to lure someone with charm or tricks, but this is rare and old-fashioned. In everyday English, say lure.Smugglers would wile unsuspecting sailors aboard with promises of easy pay.
Test yourself
I listened to music blank I cooked dinner.
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while. It joins two things happening at the same time.
The fox tried every blank it knew to get into the coop.
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wile. It means a clever trick used to fool someone.
We waited for a blank, but the bus never came.
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while. A while is a period of time.
The swindler used every blank he could think of, but we were not fooled.
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wile. He tried tricks to fool people, so this is the trick word.