Accidental vs Flat

Side-by-side comparison of two musical terms.

	Accidental	Flat
Definition	A symbol placed before a note to raise or lower its pitch by a semitone or whole tone, overriding the key signature.	An accidental that lowers the pitch of a note by one semitone.
Category	notation	pitch
Pronunciation	/ˌæksɪˈdɛntəl/	—
Origin	Latin (accidentalis)	English
BPM	—	—
Synonyms	sharp flat natural chromatic sign	Bemol
Antonyms	—	Sharp
Usage	The accidental before the F turns it into F-sharp for the rest of the bar.	The key signature of E♭ major has three flats: B♭, E♭, and A♭.

Definition: A symbol placed before a note to raise or lower its pitch by a semitone or whole tone, overriding the key signature.
Category: notation
Pronunciation: /ˌæksɪˈdɛntəl/
Origin: Latin (accidentalis)
Synonyms: sharp flat natural chromatic sign
Usage: The accidental before the F turns it into F-sharp for the rest of the bar.