Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

semitone

/ˈsɛmitoʊn/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.93 in modern English

Syllables
semi-tone
IPA
/ˈsɛmitoʊn/
10
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

One of two parts, equal or unequal, in which a whole tone is divided.

noun

One of two parts, equal or unequal, in which a whole tone is divided.

noun

Any of the pitches of a chromatic scale.

noun

An interval equal to an augmented unison or a minor second, depending on the context and tuning system used.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *sem- Proto-Indo-European *sēmi Latin sēmi-bor. English semi- English tone English semitone From semi- + tone.

Inflected Forms

semitones (plural)

Derived Forms

semitonic subsemitone

Phrases

chromatic semitone diatonic semitone

Frequently Paired Words

hemitonic cent

Synonyms

half step halftone

Questions

How do you pronounce semitone?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈsɛmitoʊn/.
What does semitone mean?
One of two parts, equal or unequal, in which a whole tone is divided.
Where does semitone come from?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *sem- Proto-Indo-European *sēmi Latin sēmi-bor. English semi- English tone English semitone From semi- + tone.

How to pronounce semitone

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