Difference between Still and Till | Still vs Till

What would you say if I asked you the difference between ‘still’ and ‘till’? Some would say there is an ‘s’ missing in the till, but apart from that, the meaning is the same. These two words, which students of the English language at all levels must have confused about, sometimes have completely different meanings. This article will talk about the difference between ‘still’ and ‘till’ so that students can use them correctly in the future after reading it.

The English Language has many such words that students misunderstand and use incorrectly. The primary reason for such confusion is that most students don’t know the exact point of difference between such words. Once students understand when and how these words are used, they can use them correctly both while writing or communicating with each other.

• Table Summarising the Difference between Still and Till
• The Difference between Still and Till – Meanings
• Examples of Still and Till
• Still and Till – Conclusion

Table Summarising the Difference between Still and Till

This table shows that ‘still’ and ‘till’ can’t be treated as synonymous and, therefore, cannot be used interchangeably. Students should understand the meanings, situations and contexts in which these two words are supposed to be used.

The Difference between Still and Till – Meanings

A single ‘s’ can change the meaning of an entire sentence, so the students need to be careful while using the words ‘still’ and ‘till’. As the table shows, the word ‘still’ can be used in different ways. When the word ‘still’ is used as an adjective, it means motionless; for example, ‘ You should stand still if any animal approaches you.’ The word ‘still’, when used as an adverb, it means an event/action that has begun in the past time and is continuing in the present time; for example, ‘Amy still takes time out to bake tasty pastries.’ In the case where the word ‘still’ is used as a noun, it means tranquillity/stillness, for example, ‘The rare flower bloomed in the still of the dawn.’ However, the word ‘till’ can be used as a conjunction and preposition and have the same meaning in both cases. The only difference is how one uses it as a conjunction and as a preposition. Examples in the next section might help you to understand better. When used as a noun, ’till’ means a cash register which is used to store money paid by customers at a store, and it is used for this meaning only in British English. As a verb, it means to dig up the soil and prepare it for the cultivation of crops. It is old English which is not used so much nowadays.

Examples of Still and Till

The following examples will help students understand ‘still’ and ‘till’:

Till –

i) Monica slept till 10 A.M on the weekends (preposition)

ii) Mary didn’t open the door till her parents arrived. (conjunction)

iii) The people clutter at the tills on sales days. (noun)

iv) Our grandfather used to spend all his day tilling the land for better hopes of a good harvest.

Still –

i) Mohit was still practising even though the bell rang. (adverb)

ii) One of the friends lay still on the ground as the bear sniffed him. (adjective)

iii) The sound of the wolves howling echoed through the still of air. (noun)

iv) Halley’s comment stilled all the rumours. (verb)

Once students understand the difference between the words ‘still’ and ‘till’, and the contexts associated, they can easily apply them in sentences.

Still and Till – Conclusion

In conclusion, the words ‘still’ and ‘till’ are not synonymous and can’t be used interchangeably. This article points out the differences with the help of examples between ‘still’ and ‘till’ to make it easy for students to understand their usage in sentences. BYJU’S offers various articles on many such ‘Difference Between’ two words that students often get confused with.