This paper revisits the notion of “conceptual conflict”, a fundamental tenet in Prandi’s work on metaphors (1992), by applying it to a specific object: the metaphorical qualification of silence. First, the ontological status of the term silence is examined; then, a variety of literary examples are provided to describe three types of metaphor representing silence as matter, hence classified according to the three states of matter: solid, liquid and gas. This analysis illustrates the variety of modes embedded in the notion of “conceptual conflict” and is conducive to an effective staging of metaphorical creativity especially when it is related to the concept of “consistency” examined by Prandi (2002, 2010, 2017).