Confusing Words: Awhile (adverb) and A while (phrase)
Meaning:
Awhile (for a short time.)
A While (a period of time.)
Clarification: There are minor differences between these two terms.
Awhile vs A While – What is the Difference, Definition & Meaning?
Sometimes it happens that a word and a phrase sound exactly same. This kind of case is really very confusing for everyone. Like, awhile vs. a while is the case that create confusion among writers. Today, I am going to take the same case of awhile vs. a while for discussion.
You might be thinking that one of the above terms has a spelling error. Let me confirm it that awhile and a while are both correct terms to use in sentences.
There is just a difference of space that make them apart. Besides this, pronunciation is exactle the same. This is the reason that awhile and a while are often get confused by the writers and speakers. Awhile is a complete word whereas a while (with a space) is a two-word phrase.
Are awhile and a while interchangeably used?
Continue reading to find out the fact behind it!
Awhile
This particular word is used as an adverb within sentences. Awhile means ‘for a time period or for a moment’. The time is generally a little time. Let us see in examples how it works to modify other adverbs, verbs and adjectives.
1. May you go and wait awhile until I get ready?
2. Go to the nearest park and play awhile.
3. We need to rest awhile and then get back to work.
Awhile also means ‘for a while’. In the above examples, we can change the word from awhile to for a while. It will depict the same meaning and there will be no grammatical error. For instance,
• May you go and wait for a while until I get ready?
• Go to the nearest park and play for a while.
• We need to rest for a while and then get back to work.
A While
A while is not a word. It is, in fact, a two-word phrase in which ‘a’ is an article and ‘while’ is used as a noun within sentences. While means a time period or some time. This whole phrase is used as a noun.
1. It’s been a while since we’ve met.
2. I talked for a while and then sat silently for the whole day.
3. I love sleep. You forget about pain, problems, stress, everything for a while. (unknown)
Check Out: The Difference Between Anytime and Any Time.
Got the Difference?
I hope that from the above discussion, the difference between awhile and a while is now clear. You can use a while adverbially but you cannot use awhile as a noun. Only the noun phrase can be followed by a preposition like ‘for a while’. Apart from it, you cannot write ‘for awhile’.
For Awhile = Incorrect
For A While = Correct
What Did You Learn?
Awhile and a while can be tricky sometimes. There are minor differences between these two terms. Awhile is a complete word meaning for a moment or for a while. A while, on the other hand, is a two-word noun phrase that means a time period.