The theme’s switch
Customize → Single post → Display comments? On by default.
Turn it off and the comment thread is not printed on any post — no list, no form — whatever WordPress’s own settings say.
This is a display switch, not a discussion setting. Existing comments are not deleted, and comments can still be submitted through other routes. To actually stop discussion, use WordPress’s settings below.
WordPress’s own settings
Settings → Discussion:
| Setting | |
|---|---|
| Allow people to submit comments on new posts | The default for posts you write from now on |
| Automatically close comments on posts older than n days | The usual spam defence |
| Enable threaded (nested) comments | The theme supports these; 3–5 levels is sensible |
| Break comments into pages | Fine, but consider a high per-page count on a blog |
| Show Avatars | Also fills the author box |
Per post: Post → Discussion → Allow comments in the editor sidebar.
What the theme renders
- The thread, with threaded replies and the reply-inline script enabled.
- The standard comment form, with the message field sized to five rows.
- Comment metadata — author, date, permalink — styled as meta, so it moves with the rest of the meta line.
The thread sits in the narrow after-content strip under the post, so on a full-width post the comments still read at a comfortable measure rather than stretching across the page.
The comment count in the meta row
Separate from all of the above, and off by default:
- Customize → Blog → Display comment count? — in the listing
- Customize → Single post → Display comment count in the meta row? — on the post
It prints a speech-bubble icon and the number, linked to the thread. It is hidden on a post whose thread is closed with nothing in it, since “0” there is noise rather than information.
Turn it on if your comments are lively. On a quiet blog a row of zeros is an advertisement for the wrong thing.
Pages
Pages get comments too when WordPress is set to allow them — the theme renders the thread under the page content in the same narrow strip. There is no separate theme switch for pages; use Page → Discussion in the editor.
Alternatives
If you use a third-party comment system (Disqus and the like), turn the theme’s switch off and let the plugin place its own embed. The theme does nothing to interfere with it.