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Inspite vs Despite — What’s the Difference?

Inspite is not a real word — it is a common misspelling of the two-word phrase “in spite of.” Despite is a preposition meaning “without being affected by” or “regardless of.” The key difference: “despite” is a single word that stands on its own, while “in spite of” is a three-word phrase (never written as one word). Writers who merge “in spite” into “inspite” are creating a spelling error that does not exist in any standard dictionary.

Why Getting This Right Matters

Writing “inspite” as one word immediately marks your text as containing a spelling error — one that no spellchecker in a word processor will always catch, because autocorrect sometimes interprets it as “in spite” and sometimes does not. In a cover letter or business proposal, “inspite of our qualifications” undermines your professionalism before the reader even evaluates your argument. In academic writing, it signals a lack of proofreading that reviewers and professors notice.

What Does “In Spite Of” Mean?

“In spite of” is a compound preposition meaning “regardless of,” “notwithstanding,” or “without being affected by.” It introduces a contrast: something happens even though a particular obstacle or condition exists. “In spite of the bad weather, the event went ahead” means the bad weather could have prevented the event, but it did not.

The word “spite” in this phrase originally carried a sense of contempt or defiance. Doing something “in spite of” an obstacle was, in earlier English, doing it almost defiantly — as though the obstacle did not deserve your attention. Over time, this defiant edge softened, and today “in spite of” is a neutral expression of contrast, synonymous with “despite.”

The phrase must always be written as three separate words: “in spite of.” Merging it into “inspite” or even “inspite of” is a spelling error. No standard dictionary — not Merriam-Webster, not Oxford, not Cambridge — lists “inspite” as a word. This is a firm rule, not a matter of style or regional variation. Some compound words do merge over time in English (“every one” became “everyone”), but “in spite of” has not undergone this transformation.

What Does “Despite” Mean?

“Despite” is a single-word preposition meaning “without being affected by” or “in spite of.” It functions identically to “in spite of” in nearly every context and can replace it in almost any sentence: “Despite the rain, we went hiking” means exactly the same as “In spite of the rain, we went hiking.”

“Despite” entered English from Old French despit, which itself came from Latin despectus (looking down on, contempt). Like “in spite of,” it originally carried a sense of defiance or contempt, but modern usage has neutralized this connotation. Today, “despite” is simply a formal-sounding way to express contrast.

One important grammatical note: “despite” does not need “of” after it. Writing “despite of the rain” is incorrect (or archaic — Shakespeare used it, but modern English does not). “Despite” stands alone as a preposition: “Despite the cold, we swam in the lake.” If you want the “of,” use the full phrase: “In spite of the cold, we swam in the lake.” For more on commonly confused word constructions, see diction vs syntax.

Key Differences Between In Spite Of and Despite

Grammatical category. This is a spelling confusion rather than a word-pair distinction. “Despite” and “in spite of” are synonyms; the real error is the nonexistent word “inspite.” Writers create this ghost word by analogy with single-word prepositions like “despite,” “although,” and “notwithstanding.” Because English has many single-word contrast markers, the brain assumes “in spite of” should compress the same way. It does not.

The linguistic reason for the confusion. English is full of compound prepositions that have merged into single words over the centuries: “into” (in + to), “onto” (on + to), “upon” (up + on), “within” (with + in). This well-established pattern makes it feel natural to write “inspite” as a single word. However, “in spite of” has resisted this merger. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary and the AP Stylebook both treat “in spite of” as a fixed three-word phrase with no acceptable compressed form.

Functionally, “in spite of” and “despite” are interchangeable. They mean the same thing, can appear in the same grammatical positions, and work in the same registers. The differences are subtle and largely stylistic.

Length and conciseness favor “despite.” At one word versus three, “despite” is more economical. In writing where brevity matters — headlines, tweets, tight prose — “despite” is the natural choice. “Despite” also reads as slightly more formal or literary, making it popular in academic and journalistic writing.

“In spite of” can carry a slightly stronger sense of defiance or emphasis, owing to the word “spite.” Saying “In spite of everything they threw at her, she succeeded” may feel more emotionally charged than “Despite everything they threw at her, she succeeded.” This is a subtle difference, and many readers would not distinguish between them, but skilled writers sometimes exploit it.

The most important practical difference concerns the nonexistent word “inspite.” Because “despite” is one word, some writers assume “in spite of” should also be compressible into one word. It cannot. This false analogy is the primary source of the “inspite” error. Remembering that “in spite of” is always three words eliminates the mistake entirely.

Non-native speaker note. Speakers of Romance languages may be particularly prone to the “inspite” error because many of their equivalent expressions are single words or two-word phrases. French uses malgré (one word), Spanish uses a pesar de (three words), and Italian uses nonostante (one word). The existence of single-word equivalents in other languages can lead learners to assume that “in spite of” should also be compressible into one word. It cannot. English requires all three words to remain separate.

Neither “despite” nor “in spite of” should be followed by a clause (subject + verb) directly. You cannot write “Despite she was tired, she kept working.” Instead, you need a noun or gerund: “Despite being tired, she kept working” or “Despite her tiredness, she kept working.” For more on tricky grammar rules, see grammer vs grammar.

Inspite vs Despite — Examples in Context

Correct: Despite the heavy traffic, we arrived on time.
Also correct: In spite of the heavy traffic, we arrived on time.
Incorrect: Inspite of the heavy traffic, we arrived on time.

Correct: She got the promotion despite her lack of experience.
Incorrect: She got the promotion inspite of her lack of experience.

Correct: In spite of his fears, he gave a confident speech.
Incorrect: Inspite of his fears, he gave a confident speech.

Correct: Despite being exhausted, the team pushed through to the finish line.
Incorrect: Despite of being exhausted, the team pushed through to the finish line.

Correct: They launched the product in spite of the negative feedback from testers.
Incorrect: They launched the product inspite the negative feedback from testers.

Correct: Despite the controversy, the policy was approved unanimously.
Incorrect: Inspite the controversy, the policy was approved unanimously.

Correct: In spite of all the challenges, the startup grew rapidly.
Incorrect: Inspite of all the challenges, the startup grew rapidly.

Correct: Despite their differences, the two leaders found common ground.
Incorrect: Despite of their differences, the two leaders found common ground.

Professional email: “Despite the delayed shipment, we will meet the quarterly deadline.” ✓

Common mistake: “Inspite of the delayed shipment, we will meet the quarterly deadline.” ✗

Academic writing: “In spite of methodological limitations, the findings remain statistically significant.” ✓

Common mistake: “Inspite of methodological limitations, the findings remain statistically significant.” ✗

Casual / social media: “got the job despite bombing the second interview lol” ✓

Common mistake: “got the job inspite of bombing the second interview lol” ✗

Job application: “Despite having no formal degree, I bring eight years of hands-on industry experience.” ✓

Common mistake: “Inspite of having no formal degree, I bring eight years of hands-on industry experience.” ✗

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

The most common mistake is writing “inspite” as one word. This is never correct. “In spite of” is a fixed three-word phrase, and English has not merged it into a single word. If you catch yourself typing “inspite,” split it into “in spite” and add “of” after it.

The #1 mistake pattern. The error appears most often in the structure “inspite of [gerund],” as in “inspite of being tired” or “inspite of having no experience.” Writers typing quickly tend to fuse “in” and “spite” when a gerund phrase follows, likely because the entire construction feels like one flowing thought. Slow down at this juncture: “in” is always separate from “spite.”

The second most common error is writing “despite of.” Because “in spite of” uses “of,” writers sometimes transfer that “of” to “despite.” But “despite” is a standalone preposition that already incorporates the meaning of “of.” Writing “despite of” is redundant. The correct forms are “despite [noun]” or “in spite of [noun]” — never “despite of [noun].”

Non-native speaker angle. Speakers of Arabic and Hindi are especially prone to the “despite of” error because their native concessive constructions often require an equivalent of “of” (Arabic bi-raghm min, Hindi ke bāvajud). The transfer of this structural pattern into English produces “despite of,” which feels grammatically complete to the learner but is incorrect in English.

A third error involves following “despite” or “in spite of” with a full clause: “Despite she was qualified, she didn’t get the job.” Prepositions take noun phrases or gerunds, not clauses. Correct alternatives: “Despite being qualified, she didn’t get the job” or “Despite her qualifications, she didn’t get the job.” If you want a clause, use “although” or “even though” instead. For more on grammar pitfalls, see any way vs anyway.

Quick Memory Trick

Despite = Done in one word. If you want a single word, “despite” is your only option. In spite of = three separate words, always. Picture three separate boxes: [in] [spite] [of]. They never merge into one box. If you are tempted to write “inspite,” ask yourself: “Can I just use despite instead?” If yes, use it. If you prefer the three-word phrase, keep all three words apart. There is no middle option.

Related Confused Word Pairs

For more guides on commonly confused words and phrases:

• Diction vs Syntax
• Grammer vs Grammar
• Any Way vs Anyway

For real-time writing assistance, check out the best free Grammarly alternative for students.

FAQ

Is “inspite” a word?
No. “Inspite” does not appear in any standard English dictionary. The correct forms are “in spite of” (three words) or “despite” (one word). Writing “inspite” is always a spelling error.

Can I use “despite of”?
No. “Despite” is a complete preposition on its own and does not take “of” after it. Say “despite the delay,” not “despite of the delay.” If you want to use “of,” switch to “in spite of the delay.”

Is there any difference in meaning between “despite” and “in spite of”?
“Despite” and “in spite of” are synonymous and interchangeable in modern English. Some writers feel “in spite of” carries a slightly more defiant tone, but this is a subtle stylistic distinction rather than a grammatical one.

Can I use “despite” at the beginning of a sentence?
Yes. “Despite the setbacks, the team remained optimistic” is perfectly correct. You can also place it mid-sentence: “The team remained optimistic despite the setbacks.”

What can I use instead of “despite” or “in spite of”?
Synonyms include “notwithstanding,” “regardless of,” and “for all.” If you want to use a conjunction instead of a preposition, try “although,” “even though,” or “though” — these introduce full clauses rather than noun phrases.