Which muscle is NOT a suprahyoid muscle?

Which muscle is NOT a suprahyoid muscle?

• A. Stylohyoid
• B. Mylohyoid
• C. Thyrohyoid
• D. Digastric

Answer: (C)

The key idea is to distinguish muscles by their position relative to the hyoid bone and what they do to it during swallowing and speech. Suprahyoid muscles lie above the hyoid and primarily raise the hyoid bone and the floor of the mouth. The stylohyoid, mylohyoid, and digastric muscles all attach to the hyoid and lift it, helping widen the pharynx and assist with swallowing. The thyrohyoid, on the other hand, is an infrahyoid (strap) muscle. It spans between the thyroid cartilage and the hyoid bone and mainly acts to depress the hyoid or elevate the larynx when the hyoid is fixed. Because its primary role is not to elevate the hyoid, it is not a suprahyoid muscle.

The key idea is to distinguish muscles by their position relative to the hyoid bone and what they do to it during swallowing and speech. Suprahyoid muscles lie above the hyoid and primarily raise the hyoid bone and the floor of the mouth. The stylohyoid, mylohyoid, and digastric muscles all attach to the hyoid and lift it, helping widen the pharynx and assist with swallowing.

The thyrohyoid, on the other hand, is an infrahyoid (strap) muscle. It spans between the thyroid cartilage and the hyoid bone and mainly acts to depress the hyoid or elevate the larynx when the hyoid is fixed. Because its primary role is not to elevate the hyoid, it is not a suprahyoid muscle.