Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

whole tone

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.45 in modern English

Syllables
whole -tone
IPA
15
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The musical interval equal (exactly or approximately) to a frequency ratio of 8/7, 9/8, or 10/9, depending on the tuning system used. In meantone tunings (including twelve-tone equal temperament), there is only one whole tone, though tuning systems that are not meantone have a "major tone" of 9/8 and a "minor tone" of 10/9.

Inflected Forms

whole tones (plural)

Frequently Paired Words

semitone

Synonyms

tone whole step step

Questions

What does whole tone mean?
The musical interval equal (exactly or approximately) to a frequency ratio of 8/7, 9/8, or 10/9, depending on the tuning system used. In meantone tunings (including twelve-tone equal temperament), there is only one whole tone, though tuning systems that are not meantone have a "major tone" of 9/8 and a "minor tone" of 10/9.

How to pronounce whole tone

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “whole tone”.
  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 “whole tone”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “whole tone” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.