You've seen it. You've probably typed it. You’re deep in an email, trying to sound smart, and you hit a wall. You want to connect two ideas. "Therefore" feels too much like a math textbook. "So" feels like you’re talking to a toddler. Then, like a ghost from a 19th-century law office, it appears: hence.
It feels sophisticated. It feels weighty. But honestly? Most of the time, it’s just making you sound like you’re trying way too hard.
People think using words like hence adds authority. In reality, it often adds friction. It’s one of those "bridge" words that acts as a linguistic shortcut for "from this source" or "for this reason." But the way we use it in 2026 is often grammatically clunky or just plain weird. If you’re using it to sound more professional, you might actually be doing the opposite.
Let's get into why this tiny word carries so much baggage and how to actually use it without sounding like a Victorian ghost.
The Grammar Mistake Everyone Makes With Hence
Here is the thing. Most people use hence as a conjunction. They treat it like "and" or "but."
They’ll write something like: "The company lost its primary investor, hence it had to shut down."
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That’s wrong. It’s actually a comma splice. Because hence is an adverb, not a conjunction, it can't join two independent clauses on its own. You need a semicolon or a coordinating conjunction to make it work. If you want to be technically correct, you’d say, "The company lost its primary investor; hence, it had to shut down."
Does that look better? Maybe. Does it feel natural? Not really.
In modern English, the most "correct" way to use it is actually when it precedes a noun phrase rather than a full sentence. Think: "The project was delayed, hence the frustration among the staff." No verb after hence. Just a direct line from cause to effect.
But even then, you have to ask yourself if you’re saying what you actually mean. Are you trying to show a logical progression, or are you just trying to avoid the word "so"?
The Three Flavors of Hence
Historically, the word has three distinct jobs. You won't see all of them in a standard Slack message, but they exist.
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- From this time: This is the "five years hence" usage. It’s almost entirely dead outside of fantasy novels and legal contracts.
- From this place: "Get thee hence!" Super dramatic. Nobody says this unless they are wearing a cape.
- From this source/reason: This is the version we use today. "He grew up in a bilingual household, hence his fluency."
Why Your Brain Craves Formal Words
There’s a psychological reason we reach for words like hence, "thus," and "therefore." It’s called "prestige jargon." When we feel insecure about our message—maybe we’re asking for a raise or explaining a mistake—we subconsciously switch to a more formal register. We want to sound bulletproof.
According to research into linguistic fluency, readers actually perceive writers as less intelligent when they use unnecessarily complex vocabulary to describe simple concepts. It’s a bit of a paradox. By trying to look smarter, you’re actually making it harder for the reader to process your point, which makes them trust you less.
I’ve seen this happen in corporate internal memos all the time. A manager writes, "The budget was overextended, hence the reduction in perks." The employees don't think, "Wow, what an eloquent leader." They think, "Just tell me you're cutting the free coffee."
Breaking the "Hence" Habit Without Losing Your Edge
If you’re ready to stop using hence as a crutch, you have plenty of options. You don't have to sound like a teenager. You just have to sound human.
The "So" Strategy
Just use "so." Seriously. It’s okay. "We missed the deadline, so we’re staying late." It’s punchy. It’s clear. It doesn't distract the reader. If you think it’s too informal for a client, try "which is why."
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The Semicolon Pivot
If you want to keep that sophisticated rhythm, use a semicolon and skip the transition word entirely. "The data was corrupted; the entire experiment was a wash." The relationship between the two sentences is implied. Your reader is smart; they’ll get it.
The "That’s Why" Approach
This is the gold standard for conversational writing. It’s transparent. It’s how people actually talk. Instead of "The battery died, hence the lack of photos," try "The battery died, and that’s why there aren't any photos."
When It’s Actually Okay to Use It
I'm not saying you should ban the word from your life. There are times when it fits. If you’re writing a formal scientific paper, a legal brief, or a high-level philosophy essay, hence provides a specific kind of logical connective tissue that "so" can't match.
It signals a strict, deductive consequence. In these contexts, the "stiffness" of the word is a feature, not a bug. It tells the reader, "Pay attention, I am about to state a logical necessity."
But even then, use it sparingly. Like salt. A little bit brings out the flavor of the argument; too much makes the whole thing unpalatable.
Actionable Steps for Cleaner Writing
If you want to scrub your writing of "AI-sounding" or overly stuffy transitions, do this next time you finish a draft:
- Ctrl+F for "hence," "thus," and "therefore." Highlight them all.
- Read the sentence out loud. Does it sound like something you’d actually say to a colleague over coffee? If the answer is no, delete it.
- Check for the "verb trap." If you kept the word, make sure you aren't following it with a full sentence unless you have a semicolon.
- Swap for a period. See if the two ideas can just stand alone as two separate sentences. Usually, they can.
- Simplify the consequence. Instead of using a transition word to explain the result, use a more active verb in the second half of the sentence.
Writing well isn't about knowing the biggest words. It’s about knowing which words to leave out so your ideas can actually breathe. Start treating hence as a last resort rather than a go-to, and watch how much more direct your communication becomes. Clear thinking leads to clear writing.