Meanings
plural syntonic commas
- entertainmentA small comma-type interval between two musical notes, equal to the frequency ratio 81:80 (= 1.0125) or around 21.51 cents. It often manifests itself as the difference between the Pythagorean major third of 81:64 and the classic major third of 5:4, between the Pythagorean minor third of 32:27 and the classic minor third of 6:5, and between the "major whole tone" of 9:8 and "minor whole tone" of 10:9.
Synonyms: comma of Didymus, Didymean comma, Ptolemaic comma, syntone
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA small comma-type interval between two musical notes, equal to the frequency ratio 81:80 (= 1.0125) or around 21.51 cents. It often manifests itself as the difference between the Pythagorean major third of 81:64 and the classic major third of 5:4, between the Pythagorean minor third of 32:27 and the classic minor third of 6:5, and between the "major whole tone" of 9:8 and "minor whole tone" of 10:9.
Cite this entry
syntonic comma. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/syntonic%20comma
“syntonic comma.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/syntonic%20comma. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “syntonic comma,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/syntonic%20comma.
Source: syntonic comma on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.