How the hearing test works
- Calibrate. You set a 1 kHz tone to a comfortable level. Every test tone then plays at exactly the same digital level.
- Find your upper limit. Beeps start at 8 kHz and rise in steps of 1 kHz, then 0.5 kHz above 14 kHz. Press I can’t hear it when they disappear.
- Confirm. The test then plays the last tone you heard, and one halfway above it, and asks a simple yes or no. This removes the effect of your reaction time, so the result is accurate to about 250 to 500 Hz.
- Optional extras. Test each ear separately, and measure the lowest tone you can hear (250 Hz down to 20 Hz).
The tones are generated by your browser. Nothing is recorded or uploaded, and your result is stored only in the share link you choose to copy.
What your result means
Young people can often hear up to about 20,000 Hz (20 kHz). The upper limit falls steadily with age, a normal process called presbycusis, which usually starts at the highest frequencies. In a 2021 study of 162 adults with normal standard hearing tests, everyone under 30 responded to 16 kHz and about half to 20 kHz, while nobody aged 51 to 60 responded at 20 kHz and nobody aged 61 to 70 at 18 kHz (Wang et al., J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg). A large Spanish study of 645 people aged 5 to 90 found the same steady rise in high-frequency thresholds with age (Rodríguez Valiente et al., Int J Audiol 2014).
The chart and the “hearing age” are rough guides built from these trends. People of the same age vary by several kilohertz, and noise exposure matters as much as birthdays.
What this test does not measure
- It is not an audiogram. A clinical hearing test measures the quietest sound you can hear at each frequency from 250 Hz to 8 kHz, in calibrated decibels (dB HL), in a sound booth. Those are the frequencies that matter for understanding speech, and this test does not measure them.
- Your equipment limits the result. Many earbuds, Bluetooth codecs and laptop speakers roll off above 15 to 16 kHz, which can make your hearing look worse than it is. For the low test, small speakers cannot play deep bass at all, and distortion can make a “silent” tone audible as a buzz.
- Level changes the answer. Louder tones give a higher upper limit. Compare results only with the same headphones and volume.
When to see an audiologist or doctor
- Sudden hearing loss in one or both ears is urgent. See a doctor the same day or as soon as possible. Treatment works best when started early.
- Ringing (tinnitus), fullness or muffled sound in one ear only, especially with dizziness.
- You often ask people to repeat themselves, struggle to follow conversation in noisy places, or turn the TV up louder than others like.
- A result far below the typical range for your age that stays low with different headphones.
Safe listening
Noise damage is permanent but preventable. The World Health Organization’s safe-listening guidance puts the weekly limit for adults at an average of 80 dB for 40 hours, and less time as it gets louder. As a rule of thumb, keep personal audio below about 60% of maximum volume, take breaks, and use noise-cancelling headphones so you don’t turn the volume up to drown out the background. If someone next to you can hear your music, it is too loud.
Want to check your equipment first? Use the speaker and headphone test to confirm both channels work, or play any exact frequency with the online tone generator.
Frequently asked questions
Is this online hearing test accurate?
It reliably finds the highest pitch you can hear at the level you set, to within about 250 to 500 Hz, because it confirms each result with a yes or no question. It is not a medical hearing test: it does not measure how quietly you can hear speech frequencies, and your headphones and volume affect the result.
What frequency should I be able to hear at my age?
Very roughly, at a comfortable listening level: teenagers often hear 18 to 20 kHz, people in their 20s about 16 to 19 kHz, 30s about 14.5 to 17.5 kHz, 40s about 12.5 to 16 kHz, 50s about 10.5 to 14.5 kHz and 60s about 8.5 to 12.5 kHz. Individual differences are large, and noise exposure lowers the limit faster.
What is the normal human hearing range?
The textbook range is 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz for young, healthy ears. The top end starts falling in early adulthood, so most adults cannot hear 20 kHz. Very low tones near 20 Hz are felt as much as heard and need a lot of volume.
Why can I not hear the 17 kHz mosquito tone?
Tones around 17 kHz are usually audible only to people under about 25. If you are older, not hearing it is normal. Earbuds, Bluetooth and laptop speakers can also fail to reproduce such high frequencies, so try wired headphones before drawing conclusions.
Why do I get different results with different headphones?
Headphones and speakers differ in how well they reproduce very high and very low frequencies, and Bluetooth codecs often cut everything above 15 to 16 kHz. The volume you set also matters: louder tones give a higher upper limit. Compare results only with the same setup.
Should I test each ear separately?
If you are wearing headphones, yes. It takes about a minute longer and can reveal a difference between your ears. A small difference is common; a large one that persists after swapping the headphones around is worth getting checked.
Can a hearing test damage my hearing?
Not at the comfortable level this test asks you to set, and each tone is short. Never raise the volume during the test to chase a tone you cannot hear, because very high-pitched sound at high volume can be harmful.
When should I get a professional hearing test?
See a doctor straight away for sudden hearing loss. Book an audiologist if you have ringing or fullness in one ear, often ask people to repeat themselves, struggle in noisy places, or get a result well below the typical range for your age with more than one pair of headphones.