Hypothesis and prediction are two words that many people use interchangeably, but they are actually different. The word ‘hypothesis’ is used to refer to a guess which is used in science; while prediction is also a guess, but it is used in other aspects apart from science. The hypothesis can also be referred to as an intelligent or good guess with grounded facts after a series of experiments have been carried out.
What usually make hypotheses longer than predictions is due to the linking together of dependent and independent variables. Therefore, one of the aims of carrying out scientific experiments is so as to generate or formulate hypotheses. Prediction, on the other hand, is also similar to hypotheses but it can be used in relatively other fields apart from science, and it can just be a form of guess projected from someone’s mind as it is without any experiment. Predictions can only be proven once, but hypotheses have to be continually checked, and a hypothesis can be rendered invalid by another hypothesis.