Since you are reading this article in English, the odds are you already know what the

conjunction “so” means. You probably

also know that “thus”, “therefore”, and “hence” mean basically the same as “so” but are not completely equivalent, and you
are wondering what the difference is. If this is the case, this article is just for you.

Before moving on to the particular words, it should be noted that “thus”, “therefore”, and “hence” are all rather formal and
much more common in writing than in everyday conversation.

Thus
The most important difference between “thus” and “so” is that “so” is a conjunction (meaning “and for that reason”, “and
because of that”), whereas “thus” is an adverb (synonymous to “consequently”). For example, the sentence

He is not satisfied with our work, so we must prepare a new proposal.

can be rewritten using “thus” thus:

He is not satisfied with our work. Thus, we must prepare a new proposal.
He is not satisfied with our work; thus, we must prepare a new proposal.
He is not satisfied with our work, and thus we must prepare a new proposal.
He is not satisfied with our work, thus we must prepare a new proposal.

The last example is not correct because “thus” cannot join two independent clauses. “Thus” also has another meaning,
which I used in the last sentence above the examples: “in this way”, “like this”. For example:

They have developed a new technology, thus allowing them to reduce costs.

Notice that the comma here was appropriate because what follows is not a clause (there is no verb in the second part of the
sentence).

Hence
Just like “thus”, “hence” is an adverb, not a conjunction, so it cannot join two independent clauses (note that it is more
common to omit the comma after “hence” than after “thus” in formal writing):

They are not satisfied with our work. Hence we must prepare a new proposal.
They are not satisfied with our work; hence, we must prepare a new proposal.
They are not satisfied with our work, hence we must prepare a new proposal.

“Hence” used in this sense is uncommon, and the usage persists mostly in specialized fields, such as scientific writing.

There is, however, another, more common meaning of “hence”, which substitutes a verb:

Our server was down, hence the delay in responding.

The chemicals cause the rain to become acidic, hence the term “acid rain”.

As you can see, “hence” expresses the idea of “which leads to”, “and that is the reason of”.

Therefore
Finally, “therefore” is also an adverb meaning “as a logical consequence”. It is used mostly in argumentation when one
statement logically follows from another, and it is common on scientific literature:

The two lines have exactly one common point; therefore they are not parallel.
The two lines have exactly one common point, therefore they are not parallel.

“Therefore” doesn’t sound natural when there is no apparent logical connection between the two statements; in this case,
you should use “so”:

My trip to Paris was cancelled, so I visited my grandma instead.

My trip to Paris was cancelled; therefore, I visited my grandma instead.