moot and mute

Moot most commonly means debatable. It can also mean purely academic.

Mute most commonly means speechless or silent.

There are also corresponding verbs (to moot and to mute). More below.

Moot and Mute

There is often confusion over the words moot and mute. Although they sound similar, their meanings are different.

Moot

As an adjective, moot means open to discussion, debatable, or doubtful. As an adjective, moot can also mean of little or no practical value, purely academic or purely theoretical. Although rare, moot can also be used as a verb which corresponds to either of the meanings above.

Mute

As an adjective, mute means silent, speechless, refraining from speech, or quiet. As an noun, mute is a a person without the power of speech, a button to turn off the sound, or a device placed on an instrument to deaden the resonance. As an verb, mute means to deaden or to muffle the sound of something.

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See Also

What are adjectives? What are nouns? What are verbs? List of easily confused words