mettre en silencieux
To mute a device in French, meaning to turn off its sound, say mettre en silencieux. If unsure, use mettre en silencieux. Wiktionary also lists couper le son and amuïr.
Meaning: turn off the sound of (verb)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA |
|---|---|
| mettre en silencieux | |
| couper le son | |
| amuïr | /a.mɥiʁ/ /a.my.iʁ/ |
| mettre en sourdine |
mettre en silencieux is used for electronic devices, such as putting a smartphone on silent mode.
Which one should you use?
couper le son, to cut the sound, is the most common everyday phrase, for example with a TV or a radio. mettre en sourdine is often figurative and means to tone something down, such as a reaction or a criticism. amuïr belongs to linguistics and describes a sound that stops being pronounced.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective for mute is muet, used for a person who cannot speak or a device that is silent. It agrees with the noun and becomes muette in the feminine.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often try to use muet as a verb. It is only an adjective, so use a phrase like couper le son or mettre en silencieux for the action.
Did you know?
- The term silencieux is used both for a phone on silent mode and as the noun for a 'silencer' on a firearm.
- The verb couper in couper le son comes from the Old French word coper, meaning 'to strike' or 'to blow'. Its sense of 'cutting' the sound is actually derived from the idea of a sudden blow.
- The expression mettre en sourdine comes from the world of music, where one uses a physical object to dampen or soften the tone of an instrument.
Examples in context
- Les téléphones doivent être silencieux dans la salle de classe.Phones must be on silent in the classroom.
- Devant tant de beauté, je suis resté sans voix.In front of so much beauty, I was speechless.
- Les minorités ont souvent été sans voix dans ce débat.Minorities have often been voiceless in this debate.
- Quand il est concentré, il est muet comme une carpe, impossible de lui faire dire un mot.When he's focused, he's as silent as a carp, impossible to make him say a word.
- Ne t'inquiète pas, je tiendrai ma promesse. Bouche cousue !Don't worry, I'll keep my promise. Mum's the word!
- Camille est souvent mutique en classe, mais elle est très observatrice.Camille is often quiet in class, but she is very observant.
- Pendant le film, il était muet comme une tombe, totalement captivé.During the movie, he was as silent as a tomb, totally captivated.
- Peux-tu mettre en silencieux ton téléphone ?Can you put your phone on silent?
- N'oublie pas de mettre en silencieux ton réveil.Don't forget to put your alarm on silent.
Example conversation
Léa and Hugo are entering a cinema.
- LéaN'oublie pas de mettre en silencieux ton téléphone, Hugo.Don't forget to mute your phone, Hugo.
- HugoAh oui, je le fais tout de suite.Oh yes, I'll do it right now.
- LéaC'est important pour ne pas déranger les autres.It's important so as not to disturb others.
- HugoC'est fait, on peut y aller.It's done, we can go in.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “mute” translations and entries amuïr, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries couper, en, le, mettre, silencieux, son, CC BY-SA 4.0.
