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Spell Bee Word: While


What does while mean?

Word: While

Part of Speech: Conjunction

Meaning: While means during the time that something else is happening, as in Read your book while I cook. As a noun, a while means a length of time.

How do you spell while?

Syllables: while

Tricky part: The h after the w is silent, so children often leave it out.

Watch out for: wihle, hwile

Memory tip: While, what and when all begin with w and a quiet h.

Idioms and Phrases

  1. once in a while: sometimes, but not often Example: "We eat out once in a while, usually on someone's birthday."

While in a sentence

Example 1: Please sit quietly while I make the tea.

Example 2: While the rice cooked, Mum chopped the coriander.

Example 3: It took a while for the bus to come in the rain.

Fun Fact

While can also be a verb. To while away an afternoon is to spend it slowly and lazily, doing nothing much.

Practise the CREST Way

Word Cookie

Find the misspelt word in the sentence:

Riya hums a song whil she paints.

a) Riya
b) paints
c) whil
d) hums

Show answer

c) whil. Whil has lost a letter from its end.

Word Cookie

Find the extra letter in the word:

whille

a) i
b) l
c) e
d) h

Show answer

b) l. One l is all this word needs.

Spell-o-Spell

Choose the correctly spelt word:

a) wheile
b) while
c) whaile
d) whyle

Show answer

b) while. Whyle, wheile and whaile each spell the sound in the middle the wrong way.

Mingle-Mangle

Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:

ilweh

a) whlie
b) whlei
c) while
d) whiel

Show answer

c) while. It starts with the two letters that open what and when.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Mum said, 'I will be back in a while.' When will she come back?

a) an hour ago
b) a little later
c) last week
d) yesterday

Show answer

b) a little later

2. Which sentence uses while to mean at the same time as?

a) I rested for a while.
b) Wait here for a little while.
c) Papa sang while he cooked.
d) We eat out once in a while.

Show answer

c) Papa sang while he cooked.

Associated Words

Words that end in -ile: crocodile, mobile, agile, meanwhile, fragile

More words from this list

beetle, collar, excitement, halt, leap, pancake, sandy, stockings

Next steps

How to participate in CREST International Spell Bee

The CREST International Spell Bee (CSB) is conducted in two editions – CREST International Spell Bee - Summer (CSB) and CREST International Spell Bee - Winter (CSBW) – giving students across the globe an opportunity to showcase and enhance their spelling proficiency. Designed for young learners from Senior KG to Class 8, the competition focuses on word-building, pronunciation, and vocabulary enrichment, helping students develop strong linguistic skills.

Steps to Participate:

Step 1: Visit the registration page and complete the registration with your desired subject.

Step 2: After Registration done, do login at www.crestolympiads.com/login.

Step 3: After login, go to dashboard and click on Book slot/Take Exam

Step 4: Schedule your exam date and preferred time.

Step 5: Log in with your credentials on the exam day at the scheduled time and take the exam.

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