til, till

The words til, till sound the same but have different meanings and spellings. Why do til, till sound the same even though they are completely different words?

The answer is simple: til, till are homophones of the English language.

til
  1. :: noun

    See sesame.

  2. :: preposition

    Until.

  3. :: conjunction

    Until. See Usage Note at till2.

till
  1. :: verb-transitive

    To prepare (land) for the raising of crops, as by plowing and harrowing; cultivate.

  2. :: preposition

    Until.

  3. :: conjunction

    Until.

  4. :: noun

    A drawer, small chest, or compartment for money, as in a store.

Definitions from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition and Wordnik.

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About Homophones

Homophones (literally "same sound") are usually defined as words that share the same pronunciation, regardless of how they are spelled.

If they are spelled the same then they are also homographs (and homonyms); if they are spelled differently then they are also heterographs (literally "different writing").