# till

> English word · Preposition · IPA /tɪl/ · frequency rank #1,706

## Definitions
1. Until; to, up to; as late as (a given time).
2. Before (a certain time or event).
3. To, up to (physically).
4. To, toward (in attitude).
5. So that (something may happen).

## Etymology
From Middle English til, from Northern Old English til, from or akin to Old Norse til (“to, till”); both from Proto-Germanic *til (“to, toward”), from Proto-Germanic *tilą (“planned point in time”). Not a contraction of until; rather, until comes from till with the prefix un- (“against; toward; up to”) also found in unto. Cognate with Old Frisian til (“to, till”), Danish til (“to”), Swedish till (“to, till”), Icelandic til (“to, till”). Also related to Old English til (“good”), German Ziel (“goal”), Gothic 𐍄𐌹𐌻 (til, “something fitting or suitable”).

## Easily confused with
- **TL** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/till-vs-tl)
- **tip** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/till-vs-tip)
- **Tim** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/till-vs-tim)
- **tin** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/till-vs-tin)
- **tit** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/till-vs-tit)
- **TLC** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/till-vs-tlc)
- **tol** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/till-vs-tol)
- **tio** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/till-vs-tio)
- **time** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/till-vs-time)
- **told** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/till-vs-told)
- **tiny** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/till-vs-tiny)
- **tips** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/till-vs-tips)
- **tool** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/till-vs-tool)
- **toll** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/till-vs-toll)
- **tire** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/till-vs-tire)
- **tits** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/till-vs-tits)
- **Tina** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/till-vs-tina)
- **tilt** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/till-vs-tilt)
- **ting** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/till-vs-ting)
- **tito** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/till-vs-tito)

## Common misspellings (4)
`itll`, `til`, `tlil`, `ttill`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/till