ESEN
Which one to use?Beginnerprepositionpreposition
DespitevsIn spite of
'Despite' and 'in spite of' are synonyms meaning 'in spite of', but 'despite' is more concise.
Side-by-side comparison
Despite
preposition"Despite" introduces a contrast: something happens even though a factor would normally prevent it. It is followed directly by a noun or gerund, never by "that" or a full clause.
Despite the tight deadline, the team delivered a polished and comprehensive final report that exceeded the client's expectations.
Despite having limited resources, the startup managed to build a product that directly competed with well-funded industry giants.
The project remained on schedule despite several unexpected technical challenges that emerged during the development phase.
In spite of
preposition"In spite of" means exactly the same thing and works in the same way. It is simply a three-word variant. The choice between the two is purely a matter of style.
In spite of strong initial resistance from the board, the new sustainability strategy was eventually approved unanimously.
She continued to advocate for the initiative in spite of the setbacks, and her persistence ultimately paid off.
In spite of the economic downturn, the company managed to expand its market share by 12% over the fiscal year.
Common mistake
- •"Despite of the rain" is wrong: "despite" never takes "of".
- •Choose: "Despite the rain" (no "of") or "In spite of the rain" (with "of").
- •Both mean the same and are followed by a noun or gerund, never by a phrase with subject + verb.
Trick to remember it
- •"In spite OF" already has the "of".
- •"Despite" is the version without "of", never duplicate ("despite of" does not exist).
- •For a phrase with subject + verb: "despite the fact that..." or switch to "although/even though".
Quick rule
"Despite" = in spite of (+ noun/gerund, no "of"). "In spite of" = despite (+ noun/gerund, with "of"). Identical meaning.
Did you know?
The "despite of" error is so common among non-native speakers that linguists call it the "of-insertion error", the tendency to insert "of" by analogy with "in spite of", "because of", "instead of", "on behalf of". This family of prepositional phrases with "of" is so productive in English that learners create "despite of" by analogy. Learner error corpora show "despite of" in written productions from speakers of practically every language in the world, making it one of the most universal errors in English as a second language.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
She passed the exam _____ not studying much.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
_____ all her hard work, she didn't get the promotion.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Related word pairs
AlthoughvsEven though
'Although' expresses contrast neutrally; 'even though' adds stronger emphasis to what is unexpected.
UnlessvsIf... not
'Unless' is nearly identical to 'if ... not' but they are not always interchangeable, especially in hypotheticals.
WhilevsWhereas
'While' can express simultaneous time or moderate contrast; 'whereas' expresses only direct contrast between two opposing facts.
AvsAn
'A' is used before consonant sounds; 'an' is used before vowel sounds.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy