D♯°7 — D♯, F♯, A, C — is the vii°7 of E minor (and E major when borrowing from parallel minor). All three intervals are minor thirds, making the chord fully symmetric. D♯°7 is enharmonically equivalent to F°7, A°7, and C°7 (an altered dominant context).
Intervals
The D# diminished 7 chord stacks two thirds on the root. Each interval and its size in semitones:
- D#→F#minor 3rd3 semitones
- F#→Aminor 3rd3 semitones
- A→Cdiminished 7th9 semitones
On the keyboard
Each note of the D# diminished 7 chord highlighted on a piano. Pitch class is what matters — any octave works.
On the guitar
One voicing of the D# diminished 7 chord on a six-string guitar fretboard.
Common mistakes
D♯°7 mixes two sharps (D♯, F♯) with two naturals (A, C). The mixed-accidental signature is part of its visual identity. In jazz, the chord is sometimes written E♭°7 instead — same pitches, but the flat-side spelling. Both are valid depending on surrounding harmony.
In context
D♯°7 → E minor is the leading-tone cadence in E minor. As an altered V/V/V (chains of secondary dominants), the chord pivots through multiple minor keys in chromatically modulating music. The "diminished sequence" in classical literature often climbs through D♯°7 → E°7 → F°7 → ... before resolving.
Drill it
The D# diminished 7 chord is one of 48 in the Chord Trainer. Open the full trainer to practice it alongside related chords with timing and best-time tracking.
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Frequently asked
- What notes are in a D♯ diminished 7 chord?
- D♯°7 contains four notes: D♯ (root), F♯ (minor third), A (diminished fifth), and C (diminished seventh).
- How does D♯°7 resolve?
- In E minor: D♯ rises to E, F♯ holds or rises to G, A holds, and C falls to B. Every voice moves by half-step or whole-step to a chord tone of E minor.
- Is D♯°7 the same as E♭°7?
- Enharmonically yes — same four pitches. D♯°7 spells the chord in sharp-key contexts (E minor); E♭°7 (E♭-G♭-B♭♭-D♭♭) is essentially never written because of double flats.
- Where does D♯°7 appear in music?
- In E-minor and E-major leading-tone cadences. Mendelssohn's "Italian" Symphony finale (in F♯ minor) uses adjacent dim7 chords; D♯°7 also appears in jazz progressions through E minor.