1. Though both means two things are happening at the same time, during is a preposition and while is a conjunction. 2. During is followed by a noun and while is followed by a sentence.

Where do we use during during?

We use during to talk about when something happens in relation to another event which lasts for a period of time. We use a noun after during. Note: we do not use during to talk about the length of time or the start or end point of the event. I went skiing several times during the winter.

What is the difference between in a while and for a while?

“Awhile” means a period of time. So we use “for a while” and “in a while” quite differently. “For a while” is used when we're talking about a duration of time. We're using it to talk about the length of time that something happened, so duration is really the key here.