Despite vs. In Spite Of - Commonly Confused Words In English
Despite & In Spite Of - is used to state that someone or something can't or will not be stopped or prevented from doing something

Despite & In spite of mean the same thing.

    I went to university despite not having a lot of money.
    I went to university in spite of not having a lot of money.
    My sister is a firefighter despite being a woman.
    My sister is a firefighter in spite of being a woman.
    We had a great time in England despite the rain.
    We had a great time in England in spite of the rain.

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