adjective
mute, silent
B1
Stumm is an adjective meaning mute or silent. It can describe inability to speak (mute) or lack of sound. It’s gradable: comparative stummer, superlative am stummsten, used attributively or predicatively. Not a participle; common collocations include 'stumm bleiben' (to remain silent).
VOCABULARY.DETAILS.EXAMPLES
Das Mikrofon ist stumm geschaltet.
The microphone is muted.
Das Telefon blieb stumm, obwohl viele Nachrichten erwartet wurden.
The telephone remained silent, although many messages were expected.
Im Kino muss man während des Films stumm sein.
In the cinema you must stay silent during the film.
VOCABULARY.DETAILS.DETAILS_LABEL
VOCABULARY.DETAILS.MNEMONICS
Imagine someone with a small 'mute' button taped over their mouth.
Sounds like 'stum' — think 'mute' and 'silent room'.
VOCABULARY.DETAILS.NOTES
stumm often means 'unable to speak' or 'switched off (sound)'. It differs from still (quiet) — stumm focuses on lack of sound or speech, while still emphasizes low noise level.