When you speak, you probably don’t think about whether you’re saying a while or awhile because they sound the same. But have you ever found yourself wondering which one is correct when you write?
Here we’ll explain the difference between a while vs awhile, along with examples of how to use the words. We have also included some common phrases like ‘for a while’ and ‘it’s been a while’ so you can be more confident in your writing.
This is just one of many commonly confused word pairs in the English language, so don’t feel bad about getting them mixed up!
A while vs awhile
We have established that a while and awhile are indistinguishable when spoken. They also mean the same thing, referring to a short period of time.
So, the main difference between a while vs awhile comes in the grammar. This is similar to apart and a part, another confusing pair, except these have more distinct meanings.
‘A while’ is a noun phrase
Grammatically speaking, ‘a while’ is a noun phrase that refers to a short period of time. You probably already know that the article ‘a’ comes before a noun, and that’s an easy way to remember that ‘a while’ is a noun phrase.
A more practical way to know whether you’re using a while vs awhile correctly is to try replacing it with another noun phrase like ‘a few days’, ‘an hour’, ‘a year’, ‘ages’ or ‘a long time’. It should still make sense grammatically:
- It’s been a while since I last saw Greg. (It’s been a year since I saw Greg – also makes sense)
- They are taking a while to make my milkshake. (They are taking a long time to make my milkshake – also makes sense)
- My cat sometimes disappears for a while, but she always comes home in the end. (My cat sometimes disappears for a few days – also makes sense)
- I broke my leg a while ago. (I broke my leg a month ago – also makes sense)
See also: Few/a few and little/a little
‘Awhile’ is an adverb
The word ‘awhile’ is an adverb, meaning it modifies a verb. In this case, it applies a duration to the verb.
To check that you are using ‘awhile’ correctly in a sentence, try replacing it with another adverb or adverbial phrase such as ‘quickly’, ‘for some time’ or ‘for a year’. If it still makes sense grammatically, you are correct to use ‘awhile’:
- Let’s sit down here awhile. (Let’s sit down here quickly – also makes sense)
- I lived awhile in London. (I lived for a year in London – also makes sense)
- They talked awhile before parting ways. (They talked for some time – also makes sense)
In both of these examples, you could also use ‘for a while’ as an adverb phrase, but you should never write ‘for awhile’. Only ‘a while’ can follow a preposition in a preposition phrase.
Confusingly, the noun phrase ‘a while’ can also be used adverbially, so in some cases the phrases can be used interchangeably:
- I plan to stay here awhile.
- I plan to stay here a while.
- You’ve been there awhile.
- You’ve been there a while.
This reasoning is similar to the difference between sometime/some time/sometimes.
How long is a while?
Typically a while is a short period of time, but it’s worth noting that it only needs to be short in relation to the larger time period in question.
If you say ‘Let’s rest for a while’ during a shopping trip, it’s clear that you wish to rest for a few minutes rather than a few hours.
In the example ‘It’s been a while since I saw Greg’, the time period would depend on the situation. If you are doing a group activity that includes Greg, it could be that you haven’t seen him for a few minutes and you are wondering where he has gone. If Greg lives on the other side of the country, then ‘a while’ could be several months.
And if you say ‘I lived in London for a while’, it could even be a year or more – which is still a relatively short period of time compared to your whole life.
For awhile or for a while?
This is an easy one to answer: it is always ‘for a while’ and not ‘for awhile’.
So, you would say ‘I’ll stop here for a while’ rather than ‘I’ll stop here for awhile’.
That’s because ‘awhile’ is an adverb and ‘for’ is a preposition, and we can’t follow a preposition with an adverb.
However, if you drop the preposition ‘for’, both options are correct. You can say ‘I’ll stop here a while’ or ‘I’ll stop here awhile’.
It’s been awhile vs a while?
It’s always correct to say ‘It’s been a while’, not ‘It’s been awhile’.
This sentence requires a noun phrase, so you could also say ‘a long time’, ‘ages’, ‘more than a year’, etc.
In a while or awhile?
Since ‘in’ is a preposition, we must follow it with the noun phrase ‘a while’. So, it’s correct to say ‘See you in a while’ and not ‘See you in awhile’.
You may also want to learn about any more vs anymore, which is a similarly confusing pair of words.
A while ago or awhile ago?
Here, we need the noun ‘while’. It’s only correct to say ‘a while ago’. Similarly, you would say ‘an hour ago’, ‘a year ago’, ‘a long time ago’, etc.
Once in a while or awhile?
It’s correct to say ‘once in a while’, not ‘once in awhile’. This is because we need a noun rather than an adverb after the preposition ‘in’.
If in doubt whether to use a while or awhile, it’s safer to opt for ‘a while’. This is because it’s more commonly used in everyday phrases, and even in contexts where ‘awhile’ would be more suitable, it’s still acceptable to use ‘a while’. However, there are many situations when ‘awhile’ is definitely wrong.
We hope that has helped to clear things up for you about when to use a while vs awhile. Maybe you have an example sentence you’re still unsure about, in which case please share it in the comments below so we can help.
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