# despite

> English word · Preposition · IPA /dɪˈspaɪt/ · frequency rank #1,075

## Definitions
1. In spite of, not with standing.

## Etymology
The noun is derived from Middle English despit, dispit, from Old French despit, from Latin dēspectum (“looking down on”), from dēspiciō (“to look down, despise”).
The preposition is derived from Middle English dispit, itself derived from the phrase in dispit of (in despite of).
Compare typologically Russian несмотря́ на (nesmotrjá na) (< смотре́ть (smotrétʹ)); невзира́я на (nevzirája na) (< взира́ть (vzirátʹ)), презре́в (prezrév) (< презре́ть (prezrétʹ) <~ зреть (zretʹ)) (compare despite—despise relation).

## Easily confused with
- **despot** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/despite-vs-despot)
- **dispute** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/despite-vs-dispute)
- **desire** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/desire-vs-despite)
- **despise** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/despise-vs-despite)
- **despised** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/despised-vs-despite)

## Common misspellings (10)
`ddespite`, `depsite`, `desipte`, `despiet`, `despitte`, `desppite`, `desptie`, `desspite`, `dsepite`, `edspite`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/despite