Spes contra spem
“Hope against hope.”
Latin motto, after Romans 4:18
What does “Spes contra spem” mean?
Spes contra spem translates as “Hope against hope.”
It means hoping when there seems to be no ground for hope at all. It is a phrase of stubborn faith and endurance in desperate circumstances.
“Spes contra spem” word by word
| Latin | English | Grammar |
|---|---|---|
| Spes | hope | nominative singular (feminine) of spes, “hope”; the subject or main noun of the phrase |
| contra | against | a preposition that takes the accusative case |
| spem | hope | accusative singular of spes, “hope”; the case required by contra |
How to pronounce “Spes contra spem”
Both pronunciations sound the same here, with the e as in “bed” or close to “ay” in spes. Stress the first syllable of spes and contra falls on KOHN. Spes is one syllable, spem is one syllable.
The story behind it
Word for word the phrase says “hope against hope”: the same noun appears twice, first as a plain nominative and then as the accusative object of contra. The phrase is not found in classical authors but belongs to Church Latin.
It echoes Saint Paul’s description of Abraham in Romans 4:18, where the Vulgate reads that he, “against hope, believed in hope” (contra spem in spem credidit). Abraham trusted God’s promise of descendants even though, humanly speaking, there was no reason to expect it.
The shortened form spes contra spem became a motto in its own right. English adopted it as the idiom “to hope against hope”, meaning to go on hoping when the situation seems hopeless.
How to use “Spes contra spem”
A fitting tattoo, card or message for someone waiting on a diagnosis, a court decision or a long-awaited answer, or for anyone holding on in a difficult stretch. It also works as a personal motto about resilience.
- Latin
- Spes contra spem
- English
- Hope against hope.
- Source
- Latin motto, after Romans 4:18
- Era
- Church Latin
- Theme
- Hope
Common mistakes
- It does not mean “hope against hoping” in the sense of hoping for the opposite. The sense is hoping despite there being no reason to hope.
- Do not treat it as a classical Roman saying. It is Church Latin, drawn from the Latin Bible.
- The wording is not identical to the Vulgate verse, which reads contra spem in spem. Spes contra spem is the shortened motto form.
- Spem is the accusative form required after contra. Writing spes twice is a common error.
Questions about “Spes contra spem”
What does “Spes contra spem” mean literally?
“Hope against hope”. Spes is “hope”, contra is “against” and spem is the accusative of spes.
Where does “Spes contra spem” come from?
It echoes Romans 4:18 in the Latin Bible, which says Abraham “against hope believed in hope”. The short form became a motto.
Is “Spes contra spem” correct Latin for a tattoo?
Yes. Contra takes the accusative, so spem is correct. It is Church Latin rather than classical, which suits its biblical origin.
How do you pronounce “Spes contra spem”?
Roughly “spayss KOHN-trah spem”. Classical and Church pronunciation sound the same here.
More to explore
Translation and grammar checked by Latin Quoter · last reviewed November 2026
Related Latin quotes
One Latin line. Every Monday.
A quote, its translation and the story behind it, free in your inbox.
