awhile
/əˈwaɪl/adverb
awhile is spelled A-W-H-I-L-E: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 7.8 times per million words in written English, the 8,417th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adverb, awhile means “For some time; for a short time” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in awhile?
| Letters | 6: A-W-H-I-L-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 7.8 times per million words; the 8,417th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is awhile?
Awhile appears 7.8 times per million words in written English, the 8,417th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce awhile?
- /əˈwaɪl/
- /əˈʍaɪl/
Awhile has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-awhile.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What does awhile mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adverb
- 1
For some time; for a short time.
Sit with me awhile.
- 2
USIn the meantime; during an implicit ongoing process.
Can I get you a drink awhile?
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Awhile in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense For some time; for a short time:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | un moment, un peu, un instant |
| German | eine Weile |
| Portuguese | por um tempo |
| Spanish | un rato, algún tiempo |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does awhile come from?
From Old English āne (“(for) a”) hwīle (“while”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).