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'Moose' is the largest member of the deer family, found in North America; 'mousse' is a light airy dessert or hair styling foam.
Side-by-side comparison
"Moose" is the North American elk: the largest member of the deer family, known for its massive antlers. It is the animal, not related to food.
A moose stood in the middle of the road, blocking traffic for ten minutes.
Moose are excellent swimmers and have been seen crossing lakes several kilometres wide.
The moose calves follow their mother for about a year before becoming independent.
"Mousse" is a light, airy dessert made with whipped cream or beaten egg whites and flavouring. Also a foamy styling gel for hair. Completely different from the animal.
She made a chocolate mousse for dessert and topped it with fresh raspberries.
He applied mousse to his hair to give it volume and hold the style in place.
The chef created a delicate salmon mousse as a starter for the tasting menu.
Common mistake
"I had moose for dessert" sounds like a joke, and sometimes it is, but it is one of those slips that gets a smile. If you eat it for dessert or put it in your hair, it has SS and a final E: mousse.
Trick to remember it
- •"Moose" has double OO like "zoo", animals belong in the wild.
- •"Mousse" has OU like "cloud" and "fluffy", the airy, light texture of mousse.
Quick rule
- •Is it the large deer-family animal? "Moose".
- •Is it the airy dessert or hair foam? "Mousse".
Did you know?
An adult moose can weigh up to 700 kg and stand over 2 meters tall at the shoulder, taller than most vehicles. Despite its enormous size, it can run at 56 km/h and swim for hours. MOUSSE comes directly from French, where it simply means "foam" or "froth." Chocolate mousse was popularized in France in the late 1800s. Hair mousse was invented in the 1980s as a lighter alternative to gel. Curiosity: in Europe, the North American moose is called "elk," but in North America "elk" refers to a different, smaller animal (the wapiti). The European "elk" and the North American "moose" are the same species.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
She put chocolate _____ on top of the cake to make it extra creamy.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
A huge _____ walked across the road in front of their car in the Canadian forest.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Related word pairs
One means to receive or agree to something, the other means to exclude or not include.
'Advice' is the guidance you receive (noun); 'advise' is the act of giving that guidance (verb).
'Affect' is the verb meaning to influence something; 'effect' is the noun meaning result or consequence.
'Aisle' is the walkway between rows of seats or shelves; 'isle' is a small island.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy