Several years back, I remember I was watching an episode of Friends when the Joey character made a variation on a very common mistake. You can watch the scene on YouTube, but here’s the gist of it:
Rachel asks Phoebe and Monica how much time she should wait before it is appropriate to “make a move” on someone who had just ended a relationship. Chiming in on the conversation, Joey asks whether the guy actually likes Rachel in the first place. If he doesn’t, then it’s a “moo point.” It would be “like a cow’s opinion: it just doesn’t matter. It’s moo.”
Many people probably know that the common term is not “moo point,” but they still make a mistake when choosing a correct term. As an adjective, moot refers to something that is of little or no practical value or meaning. Joey is right in saying that it’s something that “doesn’t matter.” For example, you could say that choosing between a Ferrari and a Lamborghini is a moot point if there is no way that you’ll be able to afford either car.
As is the case with word pairs like hoard and horde or then and than, I find that one of the most common misspellings of the term is “mute” point (rather than “moot” point). This is partly because it may seem like the meaning is correct: if something doesn’t matter, it’s not saying anything. It’s “mute.”
That is incorrect. In addition to having different meanings, “mute” and “moot” are pronounced slightly differently. Mute rhymes with newt and cute, whereas moot rhymes with loot and hoot. You can hear the difference when you hover your mouse over the respective words at Howjsay.com. That’s a great pronunciation website, by the way.
Just as you shouldn’t confuse metal with medal due to seemingly similar meanings, you should avoid confusing mute and moot too.
Do you have a suggestion for a future Grammar 101 post? Feel free to make your requests via the comment form in this post.
It’s funny that today was grammar day on BTR because I wrote a very short post on the weird way we use the English language. Mine point was why do we use “Park the car in the Driveway and Drive our cars on the Parkway?”
Things like this just amaze me.
Mute does not rhyme with newt in all of the country. In many places, newt rhymes with loot just as news rhymes with lose. Technically, there is no palatialization of the consonant. I believe Chet Huntley said NBC noos, noo York while David Brinkley said NBC nyews, nyew York
I am reminded of the current add for Wheat Thins in which Brian and Stewy Griffin are going “Weat thins” no “Hwestthins”
Hey, I’m not sure if this is entirely correct. I recall “moot” meaning debatable or open to discussion. It doesn’t mean that it doesn’t matter. A moot point is a point where things are open for debate and argument, they’re actually far from being irrelevant as you seem to be saying here.
Good point. I’ve always thought of it from a traditional standpoint where a “moot point” is one that is irrelevant (and thus doesn’t matter in the context of the current argument). However, it seems that your definition (a point open to debate) is also correct:
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/moot-point.html
Thanks for that!
The mix up between these two words has a hilarious treatment in Catch 22, I believe it is General Dreedle who says: “It’s a mute point.” He is corrected and asked; “Don’t you mean a moot point?” Dreedle’s response is priceless; “No, it’s a mute point because I don’t want to talk about it any more.”