LexBrew
Confusables Entry 403 / 1605 60-second read

Awhile vs. A while

Adverb versus noun phrase.

The comparisoni

✗ Wrong

“Let’s rest for awhile.”

✓ Correct

“Let’s rest for a while.”

The ruleii

AWHILE after a verb. A WHILE after a preposition.

AWHILE is an adverb meaning "for a short time" — it already has "for" baked in. Use A WHILE (two words) as a noun phrase after prepositions like FOR or AFTER.

Memory aidiii

Remember it like this

After "for," use "a while." After nothing, "awhile."

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