F Diminished 7th
Fdim7
Notes
F · Ab · Cb · Ebb
Intervals
- RootF (1P)
- Minor 3rdAb (3m)
- Diminished 5thCb (5d)
- Diminished 7thEbb (7d)
Fretboard
On the fretboard, B represents Cb, and Eb represents Ebb.
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About
The F fully diminished 7 (F–A♭–C♭–E♭♭) stacks four minor thirds, giving it a fully symmetrical structure. Each note can be respelled as a root — F°7 is enharmonically the same chord as A♭°7, C♭°7, and E♭♭°7 — meaning a single shape on the guitar can function as four different leading-tone chords depending on context. This flexibility makes dim7 especially useful as a passing or substitution chord, often resolving up a half step (here to G♭). All four tones carry the chord’s identity; the chord is defined by its symmetry, so removing any note weakens that quality. On guitar, one shape repeats identically every three frets. Compared to Fm7♭5, dim7 is more unstable and dramatically tense.
Similar chords
Chords sharing two or more notes with this one, ranked by overlap.
Scales containing this chord
- F Blues (deg 1)
- A Diminished (deg 6)
- A♭ Diminished (deg 7)
- A♭ Melodic Minor (VI)
- C Diminished (deg 4)
- C Harmonic Minor (IV)
- E♭ Diminished (deg 2)
- E♭ Harmonic Minor (II)
- E♭ Natural Minor (II)
- F♯ Diminished (deg 8)
- F♯ Major (VII)
- F♯ Melodic Minor (VII)
- F Locrian (I)
- A♭ Dorian (VI)
- B Lydian (IV)
- B♭ Phrygian (V)
- D♭ Mixolydian (III)
Scales whose notes include every chord tone. Roman numeral marks the chord root’s position in the scale; dashed badges aren’t linked yet.