Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

a closed mouth gathers no feet

/ə ˈkloʊzd ˌmaʊθ ˈɡæ.ðɚz noʊ ˈfiːt/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.25 in modern English

Syllables: a closed mouth ga-thers no feet
IPA: /ə ˈkloʊzd ˌmaʊθ ˈɡæ.ðɚz noʊ ˈfiːt/

40

Scrabble Score

25

Letters

2

Syllables

15

Unique Chars

Meaning

proverb

One who does not speak can be sure of not saying anything embarrassing.

Humorous

Example Sentences

"From the wall of a New York bar: "A closed mouth gathers no feet.""
"A closed mouth gathers no feet."
"Now disinflation is conventional wisdom on Wall Street, and Rutledge makes no apologies for his flamboyance: "A closed mouth gathers no feet," he says."
"Or just keep your mouth shut. As sex therapist Marty Klein says, "A closed mouth gathers no feet.""
"So open your mouth to speak about what is good. And above all remember that "a closed mouth gathers no feet!""
"Bubba said he would like to go along. Leonard said, "That's okay, Bubba, but please allow me to do the talking. Remember, a closed mouth gathers no feet.""

Etymology

From put one's foot in one's mouth (“to say something embarrassing or wrong, or to make a mistake in public, or a social blunder, that is embarrassing or offensive”), adopting the structure of a rolling stone gathers no moss and a closed mouth catches no flies.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ə ˈkloʊzd ˌmaʊθ ˈɡæ.ðɚz noʊ ˈfiːt/
British English: /ə ˈkləʊzd ˌmaʊθ ˈɡæ.ðəz nəʊ ˈfiːt/

Usage

Humorous

Phrases

a closed mouth catches no flies

Frequently Paired Words

a closed mouth catches no flies

Questions

How do you pronounce a closed mouth gathers no feet?: The recorded pronunciation is /ə ˈkloʊzd ˌmaʊθ ˈɡæ.ðɚz noʊ ˈfiːt/.
What does a closed mouth gathers no feet mean?: One who does not speak can be sure of not saying anything embarrassing.
Where does a closed mouth gathers no feet come from?: From put one's foot in one's mouth (“to say something embarrassing or wrong, or to make a mistake in public, or a social blunder, that is embarrassing or offensive”), adopting the structure of a rolling stone gathers no moss and a closed mouth catches no flies.

How to pronounce a closed mouth gathers no feet

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “a closed mouth gathers no feet”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ə ˈkloʊzd ˌmaʊθ ˈɡæ.ðɚz noʊ ˈfiːt/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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