Fortississimo
Fortississimo, abbreviated fff, is the loudest of the usual dynamic levels and ranks one step above fortissimo (ff). The word form is considered linguistically imprecise; the reading “forte fortissimo” is more exact.
- Abbreviation
- fff
- Meaning
- top usual step of the dynamic ladder
- One step below
- fortissimo
- Also called
- forte fortissimo
The top of the ladder
Dynamic marks form a ladder from soft to loud: ppp, pp, p, mp, mf, f, ff, fff. The fff is at the loud end. It asks for still more sound than ff and is used only at climaxes. Fff does not mean “as loud as possible” but one level above ff; how loud that is depends on the instrument, the room and the piece.
The levels f, ff, fff one after another
Each bar begins one level louder. The levels are relative: fff is what is audibly still above ff.
Crescendo up to fff, bass clef
The crescendo leads from ff to the fff in the second bar. The climax lies on the long note.
The name
The sign fff is often read “fortississimo”. This word form is considered linguistically imprecise, because “fortissimo” is already a superlative of “forte”. The reading “forte fortissimo” is more exact. In practice people often simply say “fff”. Correspondingly the soft end is called “piano pianissimo” or, less exactly, “pianississimo”.
Performance
How loud fff really sounds depends on the instrument and the room. A chamber ensemble plays fff differently from an orchestra. Especially at high volumes sound quality counts: the tone should remain full and carrying and not scream.
Common mistakes
- Getting loud too early: Then there is no distance left for the fff.
- Confusing fff with a hard attack: Loud does not mean rough.
- Understanding fff as a fixed loudness: It is one level above ff, not a fixed level.
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Related terms
FortissimoForteMezzofortePianississimoDynamicsCrescendoSforzandoAccent
Editor: Maik Krohm · reviewed on 3 October 2026
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