/ˈhɪn.dər/ · verb
hinder
cản trở, gây trở ngại — Làm chậm lại hoặc gây khó khăn cho sự tiến triển của một điều gì đó — như sự phát triển, tiến bộ hay nỗ lực — mà không nhất thiết ngăn chặn hoàn toàn.
The upgrade in 5 seconds
poor infrastructure stops economic growth in rural areas
poor infrastructure hinders economic growth in rural areas
No definition. No dictionary. Just the sentence, made better.
Section 02
The Common Mistake
Many IELTS candidates lean on stop, make difficult and slow down.
“Stop” overstates the effect — progress rarely halts completely. “Make difficult” is correct but wordy and informal.
“Yes — that's exactly how I write, too.”
Section 03
The Better Choice
This is the step from Band 6 to Band 7 — not a harder word, a more precise one.
Section 04
Why It Works
“Stop” says something halts completely. “Hinder” says it is slowed down or obstructed — progress still happens, just less effectively — a more accurate, more academic claim.
That is why it fits development and education essays so well. It pairs with abstract nouns of progress (progress, development, growth, recovery, learning) — the exact collocations Band 8 rewards.
Section 05 · The core of the lesson
Upgrade Matrix
Watch one idea climb from Band 6 to Band 9 — same meaning, rising precision.
Poor infrastructure stops economic development in rural areas.
Correct, but “stops” overstates the effect — development usually continues, just slower.
Poor infrastructure hinders economic development in rural areas.
More accurate verb, though the phrasing could be sharper.
Inadequate infrastructure hinders economic development in rural areas.
Natural collocation + a precise subject. This is the target.
Inadequate infrastructure continues to hinder economic development in rural areas, despite recent government investment.
Developed idea with contrast — fully controlled.
A lack of resources makes it hard for children to learn.
Fine, but “makes it hard” is wordy and informal.
A lack of resources hinders children's learning.
“Hinder learning” is a top-tier academic collocation.
A lack of resources hinders children's learning, particularly in under-funded rural schools.
Specific and developed — nothing wasted.
Section 06 · Read against the band descriptors
Examiner's Insight
How this word measures up against the public IELTS Writing & Speaking band descriptors — an editorial read, not a real examiner's verdict.
In Writing Task 2, “hinder economic development” is the kind of phrasing the band descriptors reward — not because the word is rare, but because it captures partial, ongoing obstruction more accurately than “stop”. It signals control of collocation and register, not just a bigger vocabulary.
Section 07
Native Radar
Not about grammar — about whether a native speaker would actually say it.
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Native would naturally say
factors that hinder a country's development
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Native might say
hinder a criminal investigation
Correct — this is the legal sense (“hindering an investigation”) — but quite specific; for general essays, pairing hinder with progress or development is more natural.
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Native almost never says
hinder her happiness
Hinder needs something that develops or progresses over time — a fixed state like happiness doesn't fit; use “undermine” for that instead.
Section 08 · Under 5 minutes
Active Recall
01 Rewrite using hinder: “Traffic jams make it harder for goods to reach the market.”
Model answer
Traffic jams hinder the delivery of goods to the market.
02 Choose the stronger collocation: hinder happiness / hinder progress.
Answer
hinder progress — precise and academic.
03 Complete naturally: “Language barriers can ______ effective communication in the workplace.”
Answer
hinder — “hinder communication” is a natural pairing.
Hinder means to slow something down —
not to stop it completely.
If you forget everything else, keep this.
Section 10 · Editorial rating
Examiner Score
Section 11 · The editor closes
Final Verdict
Hinder is one of the most accurate obstruction verbs in academic English. It is not a rare word you show off — it names the exact effect of an obstacle: progress continues, just slower or less effectively. The moment you write “hinder economic development” instead of “stop economic development,” your argument sounds measured and precise, not exaggerated.
Learn it once, pair it with nouns of progress — progress, development, growth, learning, recovery — and it will strengthen most education and development essays you write.
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