# Words one can get confused **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 18, 2022, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772 "2022-09-18T20:10:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 528
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2023, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/528 "2023-07-24T09:55:35Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > > [@TriPolar](#): > > > > booger - a piece of dried nasal mucous > > No. No, it’s not. It’s mucus, not mucous. OK, so maybe I deserve to take partial responsibility for @TriPolar’s error. Way up thread, from almost a year ago, I had this post: > [@Words one can get confused](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/54): > > People also often confuse conscious with conscience. The latter is a noun referring to one’s internal moral compass: if you hurt someone, you may find that it weighs on your conscience. The former is an adjective referring to a state of awareness of something (or everything): I am conscious. Mucus: a noun referring to a slick/gooey material secreted by various parts of an organism. Mucous: a noun specifying some kind of connection to mucus. Mucous membranes secrete mucus. A brake (noun) i… When I wrote that post, I knew that “mucus” was a noun and “mucous” was an adjective - but I mistakenly wrote that _both_ were nouns. So, to set the record straight: **Mucus:** a noun referring to a slick/gooey material secreted by various parts of an organism. **Mucous:** an _ **adjective** _ specifying some kind of connection to mucus. Mucous membranes secrete mucus. Sorry for fomenting confusion. --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772)._