Conscious vs Conscience at a glance
- conscious
/ˈkɒnʃəs/ · adjective
Awake and able to understand what is happening, or aware of something.
- The driver was conscious when the ambulance arrived.
- I'm very conscious of how much time I spend on my phone.
- conscience
/ˈkɒnʃəns/ · noun
The feeling inside you that tells you what is right and wrong.
- My conscience wouldn't let me keep the money I found.
- She has a guilty conscience about lying to her friend.
How to remember it
Conscience has the word 'science' inside it, and both are nouns. Conscious ends in -ous like other adjectives: famous, nervous, serious.
Good to know
They sound very close. The only difference is the ending: conscious ends /-ʃəs/, conscience ends /-ʃəns/ with an n. Related words: consciousness (being awake or aware) and conscientious (/ˌkɒnʃiˈenʃəs/, careful and hard-working).
Common mistakes
Wrong: He was hit on the head but stayed conscience.
Right: He was hit on the head but stayed conscious.
Wrong: I have a clear conscious – I did nothing wrong.
Right: I have a clear conscience – I did nothing wrong.
Quick quiz
1.After the operation, it took an hour before he was fully .
2.If you do the right thing, you'll have a clear .
3.More people are becoming of the need to save energy.
Pick the right word for each gap.