Meaning
mute, voiceless
- mute, speechless, silent
- silent, unpronounced (of a letter)
In a sentence
Dopo la notizia, è rimasto muto per minuti.
After the news, he stayed mute for minutes.
Perché sei così muto oggi in classe?
Why are you so quiet today in class?
In italiano la lettera acca è sempre muta.
In Italian, the letter h is always silent.
Word forms (4)
| Word | Word forms |
|---|---|
| muto | masculine · singular |
| muta | feminine · singular |
| muti | masculine · plural |
| mute | feminine · plural |
Usage notes
- Use muto for a person or thing unable to speak or make sound; silenzioso usually means quiet, not physically mute.
- For films, Italian commonly says film muto; cinema muto is also common in historical or cultural contexts.
- In grammar and phonetics, consonante muta means a silent or unpronounced consonant; this is technical, not everyday speech.