Question : Subnetting

is there a difference between a subnet mask and a subnet

Answer : Subnetting

Yes. The subnet mask helps define the actual subnet

Example:
192.168.1.0 is a subnet ID
255.255.255.0 is the subnet mask

10.10.0.0 mask 255.255.0.0
or
10.10.10.0 mask 255.255.255.0