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Not op, but I often do say 'whilst' out loud. It feels more structured and certain than 'while', which feels floppier as a word.

It's to be used when the word that follows begins with a vowel sound.

Is it? Do you have a source for this? Afaik ‘while’ is often used in US English and ‘whilst’ in British English.

both are definitely used in modern British English, but whilst is strange to my ears as I grew up in Ireland