Although vs. Despite

'Although' and 'despite' are used to convey contrast. In this lesson, we will learn their similarities and differences.

What Is Their Main Difference?

The main difference between 'although' and 'despite' is in their parts of speech. 'Although' is a conjunction while 'despite' is a preposition.

Meaning

'Although' and 'despite' are used to show contrast between two actions or events. Take a look at the following examples:

She danced despite her sickness.

He spent most of his day outside although it was raining all day.

Parts of Speech

'Although' and 'despite' are different their parts of speech.
'Although' is a conjunction. It is classified as a contrast subordinating conjunction.
'Despite,' however is a preposition. Have a look:

Although the storm was terrible, we safely made it back home.

We safely made it back home despite the terrible storm.

Position in a Sentence

'Although' and 'despite' can be used at the beginning and the middle of a sentence. Watch:

Despite the hardships of life, they were smiling.

They were smiling despite the hardships of life.

Although life had its hardships, they were smiling.

They were smiling although life had its hardships.

Common Mistake

A common mistake made by learners is that they tend to use 'of' after 'despite.' Watch:

✗ We went out despite of the storm warnings.

✓ We went out despite the storm warnings.

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