mute

/mjuːt/

//mjuːt// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"mute" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“mute” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #11,919. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#11,919
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Not having the power of speech; dumb.

Corpus desk

Index EN-mute · mute · English

mute · rank #11,919 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #11,919
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH mornings

Nearest frequency peer: mornings (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbourhood for “mute”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “mute” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

mute vs myth
50% similar
mute vs mutt
75% similar
mute vs muted
80% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for mute
PropertyValue
Headwordmute
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/mjuːt/
Letters4
Frequency rank#11,919
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “mute” sits in English frequency

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).mute lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around mute (IPA /mjuːt/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #11,919 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for mute, with forms such as "mmute", "mtue", and "muet". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "myth", "mutt", "muted", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English muet, from Anglo-Norman muet, moet, Middle French muet, from mu (“dumb, mute”) + -et, remodelled after Latin mūtus. The correct English form is mute, spelled M-U-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Not having the power of speech; dumb.
  2. 2
    Silent; not making a sound.
  3. 3
    Not uttered; unpronounced; silent; also, produced by complete closure of the mouth organs which interrupt the passage of breath; said of certain letters.
  4. 4
    Not giving a ringing sound when struck; said of a metal.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how mute appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Thus, while the mute Creation downward bend / Their sight, and to their Earthy Mother tend, / Man looks aloft; and with erected Eyes / Beholds his own hereditary Skies. / From ſuch rude Principles our Form began; / And Earth was Metamorphos'd into Man.
  2. He ask’d, but all the Heav’nly Quire ſtood mute, / And ſilence was in Heav’n: […]

Etymology

From Middle English muet, from Anglo-Norman muet, moet, Middle French muet, from mu (“dumb, mute”) + -et, remodelled after Latin mūtus.

Synonyms

aphonicaphonousdumbdumb as a postmumchancemutetonguelessunspeakingvoiceless

Antonyms

audiblenonmutetalkativevocalvoiced

This word in other languages

mudo(Español)muet(Français)stumm(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • mmute
  • mtue
  • muet
  • mutte
  • umte

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of mute - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

mmute1mtue2muet2mutte1umte2
Edit distance from "mute"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "mute"?
"mute" is spelled M-U-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /mjuːt/.
What does "mute" mean?
As an adjective, "mute" means: Not having the power of speech; dumb.
What words are commonly confused with "mute"?
"mute" is commonly confused with "myth", "mutt", "muted". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "mute"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mute" is /mjuːt/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "mute"?
From Middle English muet, from Anglo-Norman muet, moet, Middle French muet, from mu (“dumb, mute”) + -et, remodelled after Latin mūtus. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "mute", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

nerd#11,921laps#11,910knit#11,907Jess#11,905

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (5 here; floor ≥5).

rouge5 variantsdire5 variantsdime5 variantsTara5 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "mute". Here's where to go from here.

  • "mute" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "myth". View pair
  • 5 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #11,919 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "M" letter cohort. M–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list