What notes are in an F♯ diminished 7 chord?

F♯°7 contains four notes: F♯ (root), A (minor third), C (diminished fifth), and E♭ (diminished seventh).

How does F♯°7 resolve?

In G minor: F♯ rises to G, A holds or rises to B♭, C falls to B♭, and E♭ falls to D — every voice moves by half-step or whole-step to a tone of G minor.

Why does F♯°7 spell the seventh as E♭ instead of D♯?

The diminished 7th interval requires the seventh letter (E from F). The diminished version of E natural is E♭. Calling the note D♯ would put the chord on the wrong letter and break the seven-letter spelling rule.

Where does F♯°7 appear in music?

In Mozart's G-minor symphonies, in Bach's G-minor preludes and fugues, and in countless jazz minor-key cadences. It's one of the most-played dim7 chords in classical literature.

F# diminished 7 chord — notes, intervals, and practice

F♯°7 — F♯, A, C, E♭ — is the vii°7 of G minor and a common chromatic dim7 in sharp-side keys. F♯°7 is enharmonically equivalent to A°7, C°7, and E♭°7 — all four roots of the same symmetric pitch set.

Intervals

The F# diminished 7 chord stacks two thirds on the root. Each interval and its size in semitones:

F#→Aminor 3rd3 semitones
A→Cminor 3rd3 semitones
C→Ebdiminished 7th9 semitones

On the keyboard

Each note of the F# diminished 7 chord highlighted on a piano. Pitch class is what matters — any octave works.

On the guitar

One voicing of the F# diminished 7 chord on a six-string guitar fretboard.

Common mistakes

F♯°7 mixes one sharp (F♯) with two naturals (A, C) and one flat (E♭). The four-accidental-type variety can be confusing visually — but each one is necessary for the seven-letter rule. Replacing E♭ with E natural makes F♯m7♭5 (half-diminished); the diminished 7th distinction is the lowered E♭.

In context

F♯°7 → G minor is the leading-tone cadence in G minor. Mozart's G-minor symphonies (No. 25, No. 40) use this exact preparation. The chord also appears as a substitute for D7♭9 (a tritone-related dominant) in jazz harmony.

Drill it

The F# 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 an F♯ diminished 7 chord?: F♯°7 contains four notes: F♯ (root), A (minor third), C (diminished fifth), and E♭ (diminished seventh).
How does F♯°7 resolve?: In G minor: F♯ rises to G, A holds or rises to B♭, C falls to B♭, and E♭ falls to D — every voice moves by half-step or whole-step to a tone of G minor.
Why does F♯°7 spell the seventh as E♭ instead of D♯?: The diminished 7th interval requires the seventh letter (E from F). The diminished version of E natural is E♭. Calling the note D♯ would put the chord on the wrong letter and break the seven-letter spelling rule.
Where does F♯°7 appear in music?: In Mozart's G-minor symphonies, in Bach's G-minor preludes and fugues, and in countless jazz minor-key cadences. It's one of the most-played dim7 chords in classical literature.