til

The word “til” means up to the point in time when; used the same way as "till" or "until.". In plain terms, a shorter, informal spelling of "till/until"; separately, in South Asian cooking, the name for sesame.

“Til” is pronounced tihl (/tɪl/ in IPA).

Here is “til” used in a sentence: “We danced til the sun came up.”

Depending on how it is used, “til” can be a preposition and a noun.

The word “til” comes from Old English. The time-related sense comes from Old English til ("to, until"), likely reinforced by a related Old Norse word — the same root that gives us "till." The sesame sense is unrelated and comes through Hindi/Sanskrit tila.

“Til” is a fairly common word in modern English.

“Til” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: up to the point in time when; used the same way as "till" or "until.".

All three can mean "up to the point in time when": until is the standard form and safe in any context, till is also long-established and correct though a little more informal, and til is an informal variant spelling of till. In formal writing, choose until or till rather than til.

The apostrophe version 'til is widespread in informal writing and song titles, but many editors and style guides recommend against it, preferring till or until. If you want a form no one will question, use until.

It is best avoided. Til is an informal spelling, and formal writing normally uses until, or till. Reserve til for casual messages, dialogue, and other relaxed contexts.