Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

break the silence

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.38 in modern English

Syllables: break the si-lence
IPA

26

Scrabble Score

15

Letters

2

Syllables

12

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To start talking in a conversation after a period where nobody speaks.

verb

To state an opinion on a subject that has been taboo for a period of time.

Example Sentences

"Both men waited for the captain to make a decision. Finally, Dean broke the silence. “We need to know what to do, Captain! Before we sink!”"
"Words, like violence, / Break the silence / Come crashing in, / Into my little world"
"The Free Tibet campaign is calling on world leaders to break the silence, claiming they "continue to refrain from publicly speaking out for Tibet"."

Inflected Forms

breaks the silence (present, singular) breaking the silence (participle, present) broke the silence (past) broken the silence (participle, past)

Questions

What does break the silence mean?: To start talking in a conversation after a period where nobody speaks.

How to pronounce break the silence

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “break the silence”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “break the silence”.
Repeat and practice — Say “break the silence” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.