Word
'til
Phoneticstil
US/ˈtɪɫ/
UK/tˈɪl/
Definition
prep. up to a certain time. It is a shorter, more casual way to say 'until'.
prep. up to the point in time or the event mentioned. An informal contraction of 'until', often used in speech and casual writing.
Usage
Often written with a leading apostrophe to indicate the missing letters from 'until', though 'till' is a separate, older alternative.
Pitfall
I waited til he arrived.
I waited 'til he arrived.
In formal writing, 'til should include an apostrophe to show it is a contraction of 'until', though 'till' (with two Ls) is also a correct standalone word.
Etymology
From a misunderstanding of till as an aphetic form of until.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/til