The term "in spots" refers to something that is present or occurring in certain areas or places, but not uniformly throughout a larger space or region. Synonyms for this term include "sporadically," "intermittently," "unevenly," "patchily," and "spottily." These all convey the idea of something being inconsistent or irregular in its distribution or appearance. Other options might include "here and there," "scattered," "discontinuous," and "broken up." Depending on the context in which it's used, "in spots" might be replaced by any number of these synonyms to better convey the intended meaning or tone of the text.