Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

diminished fifth

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.64 in modern English

Syllables
di-min-ished -fifth
IPA
31
Scrabble Score
15
Letters
4
Syllables
9
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A type of tritone in musical composition formed by narrowing a perfect fifth by one chromatic semitones. In twelve-tone equal temperament, it spans five diatonic scale degrees like a perfect fifth but narrower by a semitone. The number of diatonic degrees it spans is what distinguishes it from an augmented fourth.

Example Sentences

Inflected Forms

diminished fifths (plural)

Phrases

augmented fifth augmented fourth perfect fifth musical interval

Frequently Paired Words

augmented fifth augmented fourth perfect fifth dissonance musical interval tritone

Synonyms

flatted fifth

Questions

What does diminished fifth mean?
A type of tritone in musical composition formed by narrowing a perfect fifth by one chromatic semitones. In twelve-tone equal temperament, it spans five diatonic scale degrees like a perfect fifth but narrower by a semitone. The number of diatonic degrees it spans is what distinguishes it from an augmented fourth.

How to pronounce diminished fifth

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “diminished fifth”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “diminished fifth”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “diminished fifth” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.