Note Names in the U.S. and U.K.

In the world of music, you may encounter different names for the many notes used. The U.S. and U.K. standard terms differ, but the U.S. names — which were originally translated from the German names for the notes because so many German composers immigrated to the United States in the 19th century — are more universally standard. The U.K. names are also used in medieval music and in some classical circles. The following table shows the common notes and their U.S. and U.K. names.

U.S. Note Name	Note	U.K. Note Name
Double whole		Breve
Whole		Semibreve
Half		Minim
Quarter		Crotchet
Eighth		Quaver
Sixteenth		Semiquaver
Thirty-second		Demisemiquaver