# prevention vs preventive

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### prevention
*noun · IPA /pɹɪˈvɛnʃən/ · frequency rank #4,476*
The act of preventing or hindering; obstruction of action, access, or approach; thwarting.

### preventive
*adjective · IPA /pɹɪˈvɛntɪv/ · frequency rank #15,031*
Preventing, hindering, or acting as an obstacle to.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prevention-vs-preventive