major sixth

noun

A musical interval in Western music that approximates a frequency ratio of 5/3. It is one chromatic semitone wider than a minor sixth. In twelve-tone equal temperament, it consists of nine semitones, spans six degrees of the diatonic scale, and is enharmonically equivalent to a diminished seventh.

Similar
M6
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounmajor sixth (plural major sixths)

plural major sixths

  1. entertainmentA musical interval in Western music that approximates a frequency ratio of 5/3. It is one chromatic semitone wider than a minor sixth. In twelve-tone equal temperament, it consists of nine semitones, spans six degrees of the diatonic scale, and is enharmonically equivalent to a diminished seventh.

    Synonyms: M6

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA musical interval in Western music that approximates a frequency ratio of 5/3. It is one chromatic semitone wider than a minor sixth. In twelve-tone equal temperament, it consists of nine semitones, spans six degrees of the diatonic scale, and is enharmonically equivalent to a diminished seventh.

Similar
M6

Translations

Māori ono matua
  • ono matuaa musical interval
Russian больша́я се́кста
  • больша́я се́кста (bolʹšája séksta)a musical interval
Cite this entry
APA

major sixth. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/major%20sixth

MLA

“major sixth.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/major%20sixth. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “major sixth,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/major%20sixth.

Source: major sixth on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.