Diminuendo vs Sforzando

Side-by-side comparison of two musical terms.

	Diminuendo	Sforzando
Definition	Gradually getting softer; decreasing in volume.	Sudden strong accent
Category	dynamics	dynamics
Pronunciation	dih-mih-noo-EHN-doh	sfor-TSAHN-doh
Origin	Italian	Italian
BPM	—	—
Synonyms	getting softer decreasing	forzando sudden accent
Antonyms	Crescendo Sforzando	piano dolce
Usage	A long diminuendo over eight bars brings the movement to a whispering close.	The sforzando on the downbeat jolts the listener out of the quiet passage.

Definition: Gradually getting softer; decreasing in volume.
Category: dynamics
Pronunciation: dih-mih-noo-EHN-doh
Origin: Italian
Synonyms: getting softer decreasing
Antonyms: Crescendo Sforzando
Usage: A long diminuendo over eight bars brings the movement to a whispering close.

Definition: Sudden strong accent
Category: dynamics
Pronunciation: sfor-TSAHN-doh
Origin: Italian
Synonyms: forzando sudden accent
Antonyms: piano dolce
Usage: The sforzando on the downbeat jolts the listener out of the quiet passage.