Hinder-Prevent | Commonly Confused Words

Hinder

/ˈhɪndə/

To make it difficult for someone or something to progress or develop

The storm will hinder the rescue operations.Construction noise can hinder student concentration.Rain and fog may hinder the flight schedule.

/prɪˈvent/

To stop something from happening or to stop someone from doing something

Kate tried to speak, but her tears prevented her.This prevents creating a decision bottleneck."How can we prevent this?

Prevent implies stopping something from happening entirely or ensuring that it does not occur.
Hinder suggests causing difficulty or obstruction, but not completely stopping an action or process.
You can think of prevent as a stronger action compared to hinder, which may cause delay or inconvenience but not full cessation.
Use prevent when you want to indicate proactive measures to stop an event from even starting.
Use hinder when expressing obstruction or slowing down, but not total prevention.