Minor Second vs Semitone

Side-by-side comparison of two musical terms.

	Minor Second	Semitone
Definition	An interval spanning one semitone, the smallest step in standard Western music.	The smallest interval in standard Western music
Category	intervals	intervals
Pronunciation	/ˈmaɪnə ˈsɛkənd/	SEM-ee-tohn
Origin	Latin (secundus, second)	Latin
BPM	—	—
Synonyms	half step semitone half tone	half step half tone
Antonyms	major second	whole tone
Usage	The clash of a minor second between the two voices creates an agonising dissonance that demands resolution.	The chromatic scale moves entirely in semitones, touching every note within the octave.

Definition: An interval spanning one semitone, the smallest step in standard Western music.
Category: intervals
Pronunciation: /ˈmaɪnə ˈsɛkənd/
Origin: Latin (secundus, second)
Synonyms: half step semitone half tone
Antonyms: major second
Usage: The clash of a minor second between the two voices creates an agonising dissonance that demands resolution.

Definition: The smallest interval in standard Western music
Category: intervals
Pronunciation: SEM-ee-tohn
Origin: Latin
Synonyms: half step half tone
Antonyms: whole tone
Usage: The chromatic scale moves entirely in semitones, touching every note within the octave.