Hearing Test
Find the highest and lowest tones you notice. The high sweep runs from 22 kHz down to 8 kHz, the low sweep from 8 Hz up to 200 Hz, and you tap when the sound appears. Any age shown is a rough sketch, not an audiogram. Free, and the audio stays in your browser.
This is a rough listening check, not a medical hearing test and not an audiogram. It does not measure hearing loss in dB HL. Headphones, volume and age all change the highest tone you notice. See an audiologist if you are concerned about your hearing.
- Use headphonesWired headphones work best. Phone and laptop speakers often stop around 15 to 17 kHz.
- Find a quiet roomFans, traffic and fridges mask the faint tones you are listening for.
- Start quietSet system volume to about half, play the 1 kHz check tone and raise it only until it is soft but clear.
-42 dBFS. Capped at -10 dBFS so it never plays at full scale. If you cannot hear the 1 kHz check tone, raise your system volume a little rather than maxing this out.
Sweeps down from 22 kHz to 8 kHz over 20 seconds. Tap as soon as you hear it. 3 sweeps, median kept.
Sweeps up from 8 Hz to 200 Hz over 20 seconds. Tap when the hum appears. 3 sweeps, median kept.
Pick a test above to start.
The frequency stays hidden during a sweep so you cannot aim for a number. Each tap has 0.25 s subtracted for reaction time, plus the browser's output latency (or base latency if that is missing or zero), capped at 0.2 s.
Mosquito tones and fixed frequencies
Click a tone to play that exact frequency until you click it again or press Stop. It uses the ear and volume set above. A silent button can mean your ears, or a speaker that cannot reproduce that pitch. Age notes are the same rough sketch as the result, not a clinic scale.
About this hearing test
How the sweeps work
The high test plays a sine tone that glides down from 22 kHz to 8 kHz on a log scale, so each octave gets the same time. The low test glides up from 8 Hz to 200 Hz. You tap when the tone appears. Three sweeps run, and the number kept is the median of the ones you marked. With random silent start on, the tone waits 1 to 3.5 seconds. With it off, the wait is 0.4 seconds. A tap before the tone is estimated to be audible is thrown out and that sweep runs again. Left only and right only pan hard to that side when the browser has a stereo panner. If it does not, the tone stays centered.
Why the top end drops with age
The highest tones tend to be the first ones people stop noticing as they get older, and loud hobbies or jobs can speed that up. This page does not measure that. The age sketch is only a rough illustration of the frequency printed on the result, rounded to 0.1 kHz: 17.4 kHz or higher is under 25, 16.0 to 17.3 kHz is under 30, 15.0 to 15.9 kHz is under 40, 12.0 to 14.9 kHz is under 50, and 11.9 kHz or lower is over 50. The 14 kHz button sits in that under-50 band. A sweep with no tap gets no age. Headphones, volume and age all change the highest tone you notice, and people vary a lot.
Your device sets a ceiling
Most phone and laptop speakers fall off sharply above 15 to 17 kHz and can barely make anything below 100 Hz, so a low score may be the speaker, not your ears. Bluetooth codecs can also cut the top end. For a fair result use wired headphones, and check what your gear actually reproduces with the frequency response test. If the earbuds on the box promise 20 Hz to 20 kHz and the sweep goes silent at 15 kHz on every person who tries, that spec is doing a lot of work.
When to get a real audiogram
This page is not an audiogram and does not measure hearing loss in dB HL. A browser cannot set calibrated sound levels, so it only notes the highest and lowest tones you mark, not how quiet a sound you can detect. An audiologist measures thresholds at each frequency in a sound booth. Book one if one ear seems clearly worse than the other, you have ringing (tinnitus), speech sounds muffled in noisy rooms, or your hearing changed suddenly. Sudden loss in one ear is urgent and worth same-day care. Keep the volume low while testing: a tone you cannot hear can still be loud.
Related tools
Check left and right channels with the headphone test, measure what your speakers really reproduce with the frequency response test, play any pitch with the tone generator, and see how loud your surroundings are with the decibel meter.
Frequently asked questions
Is this a medical hearing test?
No. It is a rough listening check, not a medical exam and not an audiogram. It does not measure hearing loss in dB HL. Headphones, system volume, the on-page slider and age all change the highest tone you notice. A clinic uses calibrated levels in a sound booth. If one ear seems much worse, you have ringing, speech sounds muffled, or hearing changed suddenly, see an audiologist. Sudden loss in one ear needs same-day care.
Why do headphones and volume matter?
The slider sets the tone from about -50 dBFS at 1% to -10 dBFS at 100%. The default is 20%, which is -42 dBFS, and the tone never reaches full scale. Phone and laptop speakers often fall off above 15 to 17 kHz and can be weak below 100 Hz, so silence can be the speaker. Wired headphones in a quiet room are the fairer setup. If the 1 kHz button is hard to hear, raise the system volume a little instead of maxing the slider. Nothing plays until you press Start or a frequency button.
How is the highest frequency chosen?
Start the high-frequency sweep. A sine tone glides from 22 kHz down to 8 kHz over 20 seconds on a log curve, so each octave takes the same time. The pitch stays hidden. Tap the I hear it now pad, click it, or press Space once when you notice the whine. The page subtracts 0.25 seconds for reaction time and also subtracts the browser output latency, or base latency if output latency is missing or zero, capped at 0.2 seconds. It then reads the frequency on that same curve. Three sweeps run, and the result is the median of the ones you marked. With random silent start on, the wait is 1 to 3.5 seconds. With it off, the wait is 0.4 seconds. A tap before the tone is estimated to be audible is ignored and that sweep starts again. If you never tap, the result says No tap by 8 kHz and no age is shown. The low sweep uses the same rules from 8 Hz up to 200 Hz, and a missed low sweep says No tap by 200 Hz.
What do the age labels mean?
They are a rough illustration, not a hearing age from a clinic. They apply only to a high sweep you actually tapped, using the frequency printed on the result (rounded to 0.1 kHz). 17.4 kHz or higher is under 25. 16.0 kHz through 17.3 kHz is under 30. 15.0 kHz through 15.9 kHz is under 40. 12.0 kHz through 14.9 kHz is under 50, which is why the 14 kHz and 12 kHz buttons share that note. 11.9 kHz or lower is over 50. The 8 kHz button is a plain tone, not an age, and 1 kHz is a volume check. Headphones, volume and age all change the highest tone you notice.
Does any audio leave the browser?
No. Tones are made on this page with the Web Audio API. Nothing is recorded and nothing is uploaded. Saved on this device are only the ear you picked, the volume slider and the random silent-start checkbox. Marked results stay on the page until you clear them or leave. Stop, Esc, or leaving the page silences the tone, including one that was still waiting to start.
How do I test one ear?
Choose Left only or Right only before you start. The tone pans fully to that side when the browser has a stereo panner. If it does not, the tone stays centered, so those buttons do not isolate an ear. Both ears plays in the center. The ear buttons lock while a sweep is running. A difference between left and right can be the headphone as easily as the ear.
Everything runs in your browser. Leaving the page stops any tone. Only your ear, volume and silent-start choice are saved, on this device.