Prevent-Hinder | Commonly Confused Words

Prevent

/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?

/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.

Prevent means to stop something from happening before it starts, while hinder means to make something more difficult to do or to cause delay.
If you prevent something, you take action to ensure it never occurs. Hinder suggests an obstacle that slows down progress but doesn't necessarily stop it.
Think of prevent as proactive and hinder as acting in response to ongoing activities.