In spite of the fact that is an expression used to indicate that something happened or is true despite the contrary. It is often used to emphasize a point or to show that something happened in spite of any obstacles. The term can be abbreviated to 'in sp.' and is often seen in crossword puzzles. The three words that are commonly used to express this idea are 'ALTHOUGH' (8 letters), 'NOTWITHSTANDING' (15 letters), and 'THOUGH' (6 letters).