Hearing test
How high can you hear?
Use headphones and turn the volume down before you start; raise it only a little if needed. High tones can be loud without seeming so.
Laptop and phone speakers often can’t play tones above about 15–16 kHz — use headphones for the high steps.
This is not a medical hearing test. If you are worried about your hearing, see an audiologist or a doctor.
Nothing leaves your device
This tool runs entirely in your browser. What you type, play or record here stays on your device: nothing is uploaded or saved on a server.
Example
Example: a 45-year-old tests each ear and gets 14,100 Hz and 12,000 Hz
With over-ear headphones and the volume low, a 45-year-old runs the test twice: Channel Left, then Right. Each step is three short beeps, starting at 20,000 Hz and going down after each “I can’t hear it”.
- Left ear: “I can’t hear it” at 20,000, 19,000, 18,000, 17,000, 16,000 and 15,000 Hz. At 14,100 Hz the beeps are there: “I can hear it”, and the test stops.
- Right ear: nothing until 12,000 Hz, one step lower.
- Both results stay on screen, “Left · Highest pitch heard 14,100 Hz” and “Right · Highest pitch heard 12,000 Hz”, and the age table highlights the last one, 12,000 Hz, < 50.
| Highest pitch heard | Tones not heard before it | Typical age |
|---|---|---|
| 20,000 Hz | 0 | < 20 |
| 19,000 Hz | 1 | < 20 |
| 18,000 Hz | 2 | < 25 |
| 17,000 Hz | 3 | < 25 |
| 16,000 Hz | 4 | < 30 |
| 15,000 Hz | 5 | < 40 |
| 14,100 Hz | 6 | < 45 |
| 12,000 Hz | 7 | < 50 |
| 10,000 Hz | 8 | < 60 |
| 8,000 Hz | 9 | 60+ |
| < 8,000 Hz | all 10 | – |
14,100 Hz on the left is usual below 45; the right ear stops a band lower. It is a rough check, and the headphones and volume change it, but one ear clearly below the other is worth mentioning to a doctor or an audiologist.
How it works
- Put on headphones and turn the volume low. Choose both ears, or the left or right ear alone.
- Start the test: short beeps play from 20 kHz downward. Answer “I can hear it” or “I can’t hear it” each time.
- The first pitch you hear is your result, shown with the typical age for it; test the other ear if you like.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the “mosquito tone”?
- A very high tone, around 17 kHz, that young people hear and most adults over about 25 don’t — the upper limit of hearing falls with age (presbycusis) and with noise exposure.
- How accurate is it?
- It is a rough check: the result depends on your headphones, the volume and your device, which is not calibrated. Laptop and phone speakers often can’t play above about 15–16 kHz at all.
- Why test each ear?
- Hearing loss is often uneven. If one ear hears much less than the other, or you notice ringing, muffled sound or trouble following conversations, see a doctor or an audiologist.
- Is this a medical hearing test?
- No. A proper test (audiometry) measures the quietest sound you hear at each frequency in a quiet booth. This only shows the highest pitch you hear at the volume you set.
- Why does the test start at the highest pitch?
- So nothing loud or tiring plays before you answer: the top tones are out of reach for most adults, and the first one you hear is your result. Each step is three short beeps rather than one long tone, which is easier to tell from ringing in the ears.
- What if I can’t hear even 8,000 Hz?
- The result reads “< 8,000 Hz”. Check that the headphones are connected and the volume is up a little, then try again. If it stays the same, see a doctor or an audiologist: this check cannot tell why.
- Is anything recorded?
- No. The tones are made in your browser; nothing is recorded or sent anywhere.