present and prevent differ by a single letter, buried far enough into the word to be easy to miss. present means “give an exhibition of to an interested audience”. prevent means “keep from happening or arising; make impossible”. present is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈpɹɛzənt/
1.v.give an exhibition of to an interested audience
“She shows her dogs frequently”
2.v.bring forward and present to the mind
“We presented the arguments to him”
3.v.perform (a play), especially on a stage
“we are going to stage `Othello'”
/pɹɪˈvɛnt/
1.v.keep from happening or arising; make impossible
“My sense of tact forbids an honest answer”
2.v.stop (someone or something) from doing something or being in a certain state
“We must prevent the cancer from spreading”
| present | prevent | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈpɹɛzənt/ | /pɹɪˈvɛnt/ |
| Said | PREZ-uhnt | pri-VENT |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Letters | 7 | 7 |
| Parts of speech | verb, noun, adjective | verb |
| Senses | 18 | 2 |
| How common | Core | Common |
| Synonyms | show, demo, exhibit | forestall, foreclose, preclude |
Full entry for present · Full entry for prevent · More comparisons