What notes are in an F♯ diminished chord?

F♯ diminished contains three notes: F♯ (the root), A (the minor third), and C (the diminished fifth).

What key uses F♯ diminished?

F♯° is the vii° of G major and the ii° of E minor. Both keys share the same one-sharp signature.

How does F♯ diminished resolve?

In G major, F♯° resolves to G: F♯ rises to G, A holds or rises, C falls to B. The voice-leading is among the strongest cadential motions in tonal music.

What's the difference between F♯° and F°?

They're different chords entirely. F♯° is F♯–A–C; F° is F–A♭–C♭. The roots are different pitches and the chords belong to different key areas.

F# diminished chord — notes, intervals, and practice

F♯ diminished — F♯, A, C — is the vii° of G major and the ii° of E minor. It's one of the most common diminished triads in popular music because both G major and E minor are guitar-friendly keys. The mixed accidentals (one sharp, two naturals) make F♯° visually distinctive.

Intervals

The F# diminished chord stacks two thirds on the root. Each interval and its size in semitones:

F#→Aminor 3rd3 semitones
A→Cminor 3rd3 semitones
F#→Cdiminished 5th6 semitones

On the keyboard

Each note of the F# diminished chord highlighted on a piano. Pitch class is what matters — any octave works.

On the guitar

One voicing of the F# diminished chord on a six-string guitar fretboard.

Common mistakes

F♯° contains F♯ (the root) but A and C are both natural. Reading A as A♯ produces an F♯ minor chord; reading C as C♯ produces a different chord again. The sharp-natural-natural pattern is the chord's signature visually. On guitar, F♯° is most often a small barre on the upper strings rather than a full chord shape.

In context

F♯° → G major (vii° → I) is a strong cadence in G; F♯° → B7 → E minor (ii° → V → i) is the cadence in E minor. The progression Em → F♯° → G major (i → ii° → III in E minor) is a common modal motion in folk and rock.

Drill it

The F# diminished 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 an F♯ diminished chord?: F♯ diminished contains three notes: F♯ (the root), A (the minor third), and C (the diminished fifth).
What key uses F♯ diminished?: F♯° is the vii° of G major and the ii° of E minor. Both keys share the same one-sharp signature.
How does F♯ diminished resolve?: In G major, F♯° resolves to G: F♯ rises to G, A holds or rises, C falls to B. The voice-leading is among the strongest cadential motions in tonal music.
What's the difference between F♯° and F°?: They're different chords entirely. F♯° is F♯–A–C; F° is F–A♭–C♭. The roots are different pitches and the chords belong to different key areas.