Take a free online hearing test with headphones in 2 to 5 minutes. It checks each ear from 250 to 8,000 Hz with the up-down method audiologists use, shows an audiogram-style chart you can download, and includes a hearing age test. Everything runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
Online Hearing Test
Test each ear across speech and high frequencies with headphones, or find the highest pitch you can hear. It takes 2–5 minutes and runs entirely in your browser.
1 Set up
- Use wired or Bluetooth headphones (not speakers) and a quiet room.
- Play the reference tone and set your device volume so it sounds soft but clear, like a quiet conversation. Don't change the volume after this.
2 Left and right check
A tone will play in one ear. Press Play, then tell us which ear you heard it in.
3 Listen
Left ear · 1,000 Hz
Press the button (or the Space bar) as soon as you hear beeps, even very faint ones. Tones come at random moments, so wait for them.
4 Your results
| Pitch | Left ear | Right ear | Difference |
|---|
Values are dB relative to your best 1,000 Hz result, adjusted for normal hearing sensitivity at each pitch. 0 means “as good as your best 1 kHz result”; −20 means you needed the tone 20 dB louder.
Tones start at 8,000 Hz and get higher. The ability to hear high pitches fades with age, so the highest tone you can hear gives a rough “hearing age”. Turn the volume down first: high tones can be unpleasant.
8,000 Hz
Many earbuds and laptop speakers can't play above 16–18 kHz, so a low result may be your device, not your ears.
Screening only. This test can show differences between pitches and between your ears, but it can't measure calibrated hearing levels or diagnose hearing loss. See an audiologist or doctor if you have concerns, ringing in the ears, or sudden changes in hearing. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
Related Tools
- Background Noise Test
Check your room is quiet enough before you start the test.
- Tone Generator
Play any pitch from 1 Hz to 22 kHz, for example to match tinnitus.
- Noise Exposure Calculator
See how much noise your day adds up to under NIOSH and OSHA.
- Sound Decibel Meter
Measure how loud your work, hobbies and music really are.
- Frequency Analyzer
See which frequencies a sound contains.
How This Online Hearing Test Works
- Reference volume. You play a 1,000 Hz tone and set your device volume so it is soft but clear. Every test tone is measured relative to this level, and the test never plays more than 10 dB above it.
- Left/right check. A tone plays in one ear at random and you say which. This catches headphones worn the wrong way round.
- Threshold search. Pulsed beeps come at random moments. Each time you hear one, the next is 10 dB quieter; each time you miss one, it is 5 dB louder. Your threshold is the quietest level you hear twice on the way up. This is a simplified version of the Hughson-Westlake method used in clinical audiometry.
- Results. Each pitch is compared with your best 1,000 Hz result and adjusted for normal hearing sensitivity at that pitch, then shown on a chart like an audiogram: left ear blue X, right ear red O.
How to Get Accurate Results
- Use headphones. Laptop and phone speakers can’t play low pitches well and can’t test each ear.
- Sit in a quiet room. Background noise masks soft tones; aim for below 35 dB(A), which you can check with a sound meter.
- Turn off sound effects such as equalisers, spatial audio, “loudness equalisation” and hearing-aid style boosts, which change the level at some pitches.
- Don’t change the volume once the test starts, and press as soon as you hear a beep, even a very faint one.
- Avoid testing right after a concert (often 100 dB or more), a noisy shift or a flight: loud noise causes a temporary threshold shift that can last a day.
Understanding Your Results
The chart shows each pitch from 250 Hz to 8,000 Hz. A point at 0 means that pitch was as easy for you as your best 1 kHz result; a point at −20 means you needed the tone 20 dB louder than expected, which is about four times as loud on the logarithmic decibel scale. Different pitches matter for different sounds:
| Pitch | What it carries |
|---|---|
| 250–500 Hz | Vowels, men’s voices, bass notes, the hum of engines |
| 1,000–2,000 Hz | Speech clarity, most of a voice’s energy, phone calls |
| 2,000–4,000 Hz | Consonants such as s, f, th and k that make words clear, birdsong, alarms |
| 6,000–8,000 Hz | The crispness of speech and music; the first range to fade with age and noise |
Because the test is relative, it is best at finding uneven hearing: a drop at high pitches, a dip around 4 kHz, or a difference between your ears. It can’t tell whether both ears have an even loss at all pitches, because it doesn’t know how loud your headphones actually are.
Hearing Loss Levels in Decibels
Clinical hearing tests measure your threshold in dB HL (hearing level), where 0 dB HL is average young adult hearing (see what a decibel is). The World Health Organization (World Report on Hearing, 2021) grades hearing by the average of the better ear at 500, 1,000, 2,000 and 4,000 Hz:
| Grade | Hearing threshold | What it is like in a quiet room |
|---|---|---|
| Normal | Below 20 dB HL | No problem hearing sounds |
| Mild | 20 to under 35 dB HL | No problem with conversation, but may miss soft speech |
| Moderate | 35 to under 50 dB HL | May have difficulty with normal conversation |
| Moderately severe | 50 to under 65 dB HL | Difficulty with most conversation; can hear raised voices |
| Severe | 65 to under 80 dB HL | Hears very little of conversation |
| Profound | 80 to under 95 dB HL | Great difficulty even with loud voices |
| Complete | 95 dB HL or more | Can’t hear speech or most sounds |
An online test can’t give dB HL values, since that needs calibrated audiometer headphones in a sound-treated booth. It can show a pattern worth checking.
Common Patterns: Age and Noise
- Age-related hearing loss (presbycusis) starts at the highest pitches and slowly moves down, in both ears. It is why the hearing age test works.
- Noise-induced hearing loss typically creates a dip around 3,000–6,000 Hz, with better hearing at 8,000 Hz. Years above 85 dB(A) are the usual cause; see is 85 dB dangerous?
- A difference between ears can come from ear wax, an infection or, rarely, a problem with the hearing nerve, and should be checked.
- Sudden hearing loss in one ear, with or without a very loud bang (130 dB and above), is a medical emergency: see a doctor within a day or two, as early treatment gives the best chance of recovery.
The Hearing Age Test (High Frequencies)
Young people can hear up to about 20,000 Hz, and the upper limit drops with age. The hearing age test plays tones from 8,000 Hz upwards until you stop hearing them. As a rough guide:
| Highest pitch you hear | Typically heard by |
|---|---|
| 8,000 Hz | Most adults of all ages |
| 12,000 Hz | Most people under about 50 |
| 14,000 Hz | Most people under about 40 |
| 16,000 Hz | Most people under about 30 |
| 17,000–18,000 Hz | Most people under about 20–25 (the “mosquito” tone is 17.4 kHz) |
| 19,000–20,000 Hz | Mostly teenagers |
Many earbuds and laptop speakers can’t play above 16–18 kHz, so a low result may reflect your device.
When to See an Audiologist
- The test shows a high-frequency drop, a 4 kHz dip or a difference between ears.
- You often ask people to repeat themselves, struggle in restaurants, or turn the TV up more than others like.
- You have ringing in the ears (tinnitus) that doesn’t go away, or dizziness.
- You work in noise: employers should provide regular hearing tests. Check your exposure with the noise exposure calculator.
- Adults are generally advised to have a hearing check every 10 years until 50 and every 3 years after that.
Protecting the Hearing You Have
Hearing damage from noise is permanent but preventable. Keep long exposure below 85 dB(A), wear earplugs at concerts and with power tools, and keep headphones at a level where you can still hear someone talking nearby (the WHO weekly allowance is 80 dB for 40 hours). The safe noise levels chart and our noise exposure time limits guide show how long each level is safe, and the decibel chart shows how loud everyday sounds are.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are online hearing tests accurate?
They are good at spotting uneven patterns, such as a high-frequency drop or a difference between ears, if you use headphones in a quiet room. They can’t measure calibrated hearing levels the way a clinical audiogram does, so treat the result as a screening.
Can I take the test without headphones?
You can run it, but results are much less reliable: speakers play both ears at once and can’t reproduce low and very high pitches well.
What range of frequencies can humans hear?
About 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz for a young, healthy ear, with the best sensitivity between 2,000 and 5,000 Hz. The upper limit falls with age. See dB vs Hz for how pitch and loudness differ.
Is my hearing test data stored?
No. The test runs entirely in your browser and nothing is uploaded. Download or copy your result if you want to keep it or show it to a professional.