incredibly stupid yet incredibly stupid oh wait

When referring to a specific period of time that will elapse before a thing happens, it can be tricky to choose between “hence” and “thence”

So here’s an easy way to remember which goes where. “Hence” means ‘from now’ – as in; “We shall gather on the moors, two nights hence, when the moon is full.” This is to say that in two days, both things, the moon being full, and the gathering on the moors, will happen.

“Thence” means ‘from then’ – as in; “When the moon is full, we shall gather on the moors two nights thence.” Meaning the timer doesn’t start until the full moon happens.

I think of it as ‘from here’ and ‘from there’ in a temporal way, as if you’re pointing at a calendar when you’re using the word.

And now you know.

You probably didn’t actually need to, but you do anyhow.