Linking words

In spite of, despite although, even

though, though.
Although, even though, in spite of and despite are all
used to link two contrasting ideas or show that one
fact makes the other fact surprising. They can all be
used at the beginning or in the middle of the sentence.
In spite of // despite
After in spite of and despite, we use a
noun, gerund (-ing form of a verb) or
a pronoun.
They never made much money, in spite of their success.
In spite of the pain in his leg, he completed the marathon.
Despite having a headache, I had a great birthday.
The train was cancelled. In spite of that, we arrived on time.
 Note that it is common to use in spite
of and despite with the expression the
fact that, followed by a subject and verb.
Despite being strong Argentina lost
to Saudi Arabia
Despite having a lot of money, he
wasn’t happy at all
In spite of the fact that he worked very hard, he didn't pass the exam.
Despite the fact that he worked very hard, he didn't pass the exam.
Although and even though
 After although and even though, we use a
subject and a verb. Even though is slightly
stronger and more emphatic than although.
Although we don't agree, I think she's a brilliant speaker.
Even though we don't agree, I think she's a brilliant speaker.
 Although the task is hard, I think I can do it
Even though I was late for the train, I was able
to catch the plane
THOUGH
Though can be used in the same way
as although. 
 He is such a dick, but he is a nice leader
though
Although he is such a dick, he is a nice leader
The job is nice, the salary is bad though
The job seems to be very nice, it is
really far though
Although the organization very good,
the colleagues are not that friendly
Though I wasn't keen on the movie, I think the soundtrack was beautiful.
We waited ages for our food, but the restaurant was really nice, though.