English UsageComparison guide
Despite vs. In Spite Of
“Despite” and “in spite of” have the same concessive role and are followed by a noun phrase or -ing form rather than a finite clause introduced directly after them.
“Despite” and “in spite of” are equivalent in their core concessive meaning. Choose either, then keep the following construction grammatical.
Key details
Confusion Familygrammar-and-usage distinction
Rule Familymeaning and construction
Termsdespite, in spite of
Further guidance
Construction Boundary
Both normally introduce a noun phrase, pronoun, or -ing form; a finite clause needs a construction such as “despite the fact that …”.
Equivalence
The two expressions can normally be substituted for each other without changing the concessive meaning.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- In spite of and despite — Cambridge Grammar (opens in a new tab)Cambridge Dictionary · Despite as a prepositional expression contrasted with clause-introducing although/even though