“Awhile” does not equal “a while,” but the trick to remembering the difference is one a lot of people never quite grasp.

The key is to see “a while” as two very separate words–an article and a noun referring to a quantity of time–similar to “a second,” “an era,” or “a moment.”

“Awhile” as one word is an adverb. Only. It answers the question “How long?”

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Thanks to cmdrfire for the use of the photo.