silenciar
“silenciar” means “to mute” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:
to mute
Also: to silence
📝 In Action
Por favor, silencia tu micrófono durante la presentación.
A2Please mute your microphone during the presentation.
He silenciado el grupo de WhatsApp porque mandan muchos mensajes.
A2I have muted the WhatsApp group because they send many messages.
Silenciaron la música cuando entró el director.
B1They silenced the music when the director entered.
to suppress
Also: to silence
📝 In Action
El gobierno intentó silenciar las protestas.
B2The government tried to silence the protests.
No podrás silenciar la verdad por mucho tiempo.
B2You won't be able to suppress the truth for long.
La prensa fue silenciada durante el conflicto.
C1The press was silenced during the conflict.
🔄 Conjugations
subjunctive
imperfect
present
indicative
preterite
imperfect
present
Translate to Spanish
✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: silenciar
Question 1 of 3
Which sentence correctly says 'Mute the phone'?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼
From the noun 'silencio', which comes from the Latin word 'silentium', referring to the state of being quiet or still.
First recorded: 15th century
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is 'mutear' a real word in Spanish?
It is widely used in gaming and tech circles (Spanglish), but 'silenciar' is the correct, official term used in all professional software and apps.
Can I use 'silenciar' for a person?
Yes, but it often sounds formal or literary. In daily life, 'hacer callar' or 'pedir silencio' is more common for asking a person to be quiet.
How do I conjugate it in the past?
It's a regular verb! For 'I silenced', say 'yo silencié'. For 'he/she silenced', say 'él/ella silenció'.