Wile vs. While

Wile vs. While Wile vs. While Wile vs. While By Maeve Maddox A reader asks, Are there two ways to write â€Å"while away the hours†? I sometimes see it written as â€Å"wile away the hours.† My dictionary gives the meaning to both spellings. Which do you recommend? wile Possibly the most common use of wile these days is as a noun qualified by the adjective feminine: Resurrecting the Girly Girl: The Lost Art of Feminine Wiles Dating: Feminine wiles attract alpha males In this context, wiles stands for cunning, amorous tricks that women use to manipulate men. Wile can have the stronger meaning of a deceitful trick or ruse used to deceive a victim. Wiley Coyote employs wiles in this sense. The earliest documented use of wile in the OED in the sense of â€Å"deceitful trick† is 1154. Wile as a verb came later (1400s). As a verb, wile means â€Å"to lure by means of a magic spell,† â€Å"to beguile.† The OED does have an entry for wile with the meaning â€Å"to divert attention pleasantly,† but identifies it as â€Å"a substitute for while.† The examples given for its use fall between 1796 and 1880. Merriam-Webster cites an example from the writing of Virginia Woolf: â€Å"wile away the long days,† and does not suggest confusion with while. while As a noun, while has been in the language since the writing of Beowulf. As a verb meaning â€Å"to fill up the time,† its earliest documented use in the OED is from the early 17th century. The phrase â€Å"to while away the time† dates from 1635:  Ã¢â‚¬Å"to cause (time) to pass without wearisomeness; to pass or get through (a vacant time), esp. by some idle or trivial occupation.† As my recommendation is being asked for, I have to say that, Virginia Woolf notwithstanding, â€Å"while away the time† is the better choice. Google Ngram Viewer shows â€Å"while away† as far more common than â€Å"wile away,† although the latter seems to be rising a bit since the late 1980s. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Avoid Beginning a Sentence with â€Å"With†10 Colloquial Terms and Their Meanings20 Ways to Cry