What’s the difference between ‘although’ and ‘despite’?
Both although and despite introduce a concession — a surprising contrast between two facts. They carry the same meaning, but they use different grammar structures. Knowing which to use — and what comes after each one — is a key skill at Upper-intermediate level.
When to use ‘although’
Use although before a full clause — a group of words with a subject and a verb:
- Although the cracks were serious, only five jets needed immediate grounding.
- Although EASA had issued a warning in 2025, a second directive was needed months later.
When to use ‘despite’
Use despite before a noun or a gerund (the –ing form of a verb). Do not use a full clause after despite:
- Despite the emergency directive, most A380 flights continued. (noun)
- Despite having warned airlines in 2025, EASA needed to escalate. (gerund)
Pitfall — never write ‘despite of’:
✗ Despite of the cracks, flights continued.
✓ Despite the cracks, flights continued.
These examples are drawn from a story about why EASA ordered emergency wing inspections on 16 Airbus A380 jets.
Choose the right connector
Read each sentence carefully and choose the correct option. Ask yourself: what comes after the blank — a full clause with a subject and verb, or a noun / gerund?
_____ the cracks were serious, only five aircraft needed immediate grounding.
‘Although’ introduces a clause with a subject and verb (‘the cracks were serious’). ‘Despite’ needs a noun or gerund, not a full clause. ‘Despite of’ is never correct in English.
Most A380 flights continued as normal _____ the emergency directive.
‘Despite’ introduces a noun phrase (‘the emergency directive’). ‘Although’ would need a full clause with a verb. ‘Even so’ is an adverb — it begins a new sentence and cannot join two ideas inside one sentence.
EASA issued the June directive _____ having already warned airlines in 2025.
‘Despite’ + gerund (‘having already warned’) works without a subject. ‘Although’ needs a full clause: ‘although it had already warned airlines’. ‘However’ is an adverb, not a conjunction — it cannot join clauses this way.
_____ EASA had issued an earlier directive, a second order was needed just months later.
‘Although’ links two full clauses. ‘Despite’ here would need a different structure: ‘Despite the earlier directive, …’. ‘But’ is used between two main clauses at the same level, not to introduce a concessive clause.
Emirates continued operating its A380s _____ having several jets under inspection.
‘Despite’ + gerund (‘having several jets under inspection’). ‘Although’ and ‘even though’ both need a full clause with a subject and verb.
Five aircraft were grounded immediately, _____ the other 11 were given more time.
‘Although’ connects two full clauses. ‘Despite’ needs a noun or gerund after it, not a full clause. ‘Despite of’ is always incorrect in English.
Now make it real
Think of a contrast or concession from aviation — a situation where one fact is surprising given another. Write two sentences: one using although and one using despite.
Before you look at the sample answers, check your own sentences:
- After although — is there a clause with a subject and a verb?
- After despite — is there a noun or a gerund (an –ing verb)?
- Did you avoid writing despite of?
- Does your sentence show a real contrast or concession?
- Is the spelling correct?
These are sample sentences to compare with yours — not the only correct answers.
Although the weather forecast was poor, the captain decided to depart on schedule.
Despite the turbulence, the crew completed the service without difficulty.
Now improve your sentences. Try rewriting the connector you found harder — if despite was more difficult, write one more sentence using it.
CEFR Level B2 / ICAO Level 5
Compare although and despite with another connector pair: due to vs because — both give a reason, but the grammar that follows each one is different in the same way.