Regardless of their age, students often get confused while using these terms. And usually, grammatical mistakes are made due to that. So how would one make sure that they are using these words correctly? If you go through any list that deals with confusing terms, you will find the words inspite and despite in it. This article will discuss how one can differentiate between ‘inspite’ and ‘despite’ without getting it wrong.
The English Language might confuse students at times, but if they know how or when to use the words, the language turns out to be easy. The following points in the article will help you understand whether there’s a difference between ‘inspite’ and ‘despite’. After going through the points, you’ll develop a better understanding of both these words.
- Table Summarising the Difference between Inspite and Despite.
- The Difference between Inspite and Despite – Meaning
- Examples of Inspite and Despite.
- Inspite and Despite – Conclusion
Table Summarising the Difference between Inspite and Despite
Inspite |
Despite |
|
Meaning |
The word inspite means regardless of the factor. |
The word despite means regardless. |
Usage |
It is used as a preposition. |
It is used as a preposition. |
Example |
Inspite of being poor, the man was honest. |
Despite all hardships, the girl passed with flying colours. |
The chart shows that ‘inspite’ and ‘despite’ have the same meaning. But whether they can be used interchangeably or not, you will come to know in the detailed discussion below. Let’s have a look at it.
The Difference between Inspite and Despite – Meaning
Students may often wonder if both these words are similar to one another, then why using them interchangeably can turn out to be incorrect? Well, there is one point of difference that students need to know while using these terms. Unlike the term ‘inspite’, which uses ‘of’ after it, the term ‘despite’ should not be used with ‘of’. However, both these terms can be used before a pronoun or a noun. The following examples will help you to understand better.
Example of Inspite and Despite
The examples below will be beneficial for students to understand the words ‘‘inspite’ and ‘despite’.
Inspite – Shena went to school inspite of her doctor’s restrictions. (preposition)
Despite – Despite facing a shortage of money, Tobey helped the man in need. (preposition)
The examples will prove to be beneficial for the students to understand that both ‘inspite’ and ‘despite’ are synonymous and interchangeable.
Inspite and Despite – Conclusion
To sum up, the words ‘inspite’ and ‘despite’ can be used in place of one another and are synonymous too. This article points out how the words ‘inspite’ and ‘despite’ are different from one another, i.e. ‘inspite of’ is correct but putting ‘of’ after ‘despite’ is grammatically wrong.. BYJU’S offers various articles on many such ‘differences between two words’ that students often get confused with.