Although vs. Nonetheless

although conjunctions conjunctive adverbs nevertheless

'Although' and 'nonetheless' are synonyms. In this lesson, we will discover their similarities and differences.

"Although" vs. "Nonetheless" in the English grammar

What Is Their Main Difference?

The main difference between 'although' and 'nevertheless' is that 'although' is a pure conjunction while 'nevertheless' is a conjunctive adverb.

Parts of Speech

'Although' and 'nevertheless' are different their parts of speech.
'Although' is a conjunction. It is classified as a subordinating conjunction.
'Nevertheless' is a conjunctive adverb. Conjunctive adverbs function similarly to conjunctions. They connect clauses.

Although he had a headache, he joined the party.

He had a headache; he, nevertheless, joined the party.

Meaning

'Although' and 'nevertheless*' express concession and contrast. In other words, they show something that happened despite a hurdle. Watch:

We bought the car although it was very expensive.

We bought the car; it, nonetheless, was very expensive.

Position in a Sentence

'Although' can be placed at the beginning and the end of the sentence. Note that 'although' at the middle of the sentence stands between the main clause and the contrast clause.
'Nevertheless' can be placed at the middle of the sentence between the main clause and the contrast clause. It can also be placed after the subject of the contrast sentence or clause.

I wanted to go outside although it was raining.

I wanted to go outside, nevertheless it was raining.

I wanted to go outside; it, nevertheless, was raining.