aphonic
Unable to speak
Aphonic describes the absence of voice or sound.
In medical contexts, someone who is aphonic has lost the ability to produce voiced speech, whether from laryngitis, nerve damage, or psychological causes: She was completely aphonic after the surgery.
In phonetics, aphonic sounds are produced without vocal cord vibration—another term for voiceless.
Having no voice
- soundlessProducing no audible noise
- muteWithout voice or sound
- speechlessUnable to talk
- wordlessLacking spoken content
hushed · noiseless · unvoiced · whispered · inaudible · toneless · unspoken · unuttered
Inflamed voice box condition
- mutismAbsence of speech
- hoarsenessRough, scratchy voice quality
- larynxSpeech-producing throat organ
- voiceboxSound-producing throat organ
dysarthria · aphasia · stridor · tracheostomy
Not using speech
- sign-languageCommunication through gestures
- gesturesExpressive body movements
- mimingWordless gestural performance
- lip-readingInterpreting speech visually
written · typed · text-to-speech · pantomime
voiceless
Having no voice
- soundlessProducing no audible noise
- muteWithout voice or sound
- speechlessUnable to talk
wordless · hushed · noiseless · unvoiced · whispered · inaudible · toneless · unspoken · unuttered · quiet
laryngitis
Inflamed voice box condition
- mutismAbsence of speech
- hoarsenessRough, scratchy voice quality
- larynxSpeech-producing throat organ
voicebox · dysarthria · aphasia · stridor · tracheostomy
nonverbal
Not using speech
- sign-languageCommunication through gestures
- gesturesExpressive body movements
- mimingWordless gestural performance
lip-reading · written · typed · text-to-speech · pantomime