Leading note vs Tonic

Side-by-side comparison of two musical terms.

	Leading note	Tonic
Definition	The seventh degree of a major or harmonic minor scale, a semitone below the tonic.	The first and most important note of a key, serving as the central point of rest and resolution.
Category	keys	keys
Pronunciation	—	/ˈtɒnɪk/
Origin	English	Greek (tonikos, of tension)
BPM	—	—
Synonyms	Leading tone Subtonic	keynote home note first degree
Antonyms	—	dominant leading note
Usage	The leading note pulls irresistibly upward to the tonic, giving the perfect cadence its sense of finality.	The piece ends with a strong tonic chord in root position, bringing the harmony to a satisfying close.

Definition: The seventh degree of a major or harmonic minor scale, a semitone below the tonic.
Category: keys
Origin: English
Synonyms: Leading tone Subtonic
Usage: The leading note pulls irresistibly upward to the tonic, giving the perfect cadence its sense of finality.

Definition: The first and most important note of a key, serving as the central point of rest and resolution.
Category: keys
Pronunciation: /ˈtɒnɪk/
Origin: Greek (tonikos, of tension)
Synonyms: keynote home note first degree
Antonyms: dominant leading note
Usage: The piece ends with a strong tonic chord in root position, bringing the harmony to a satisfying close.