Hearing test online by frequency
This hearing test online plays pure tones into each ear, from 125 Hz to 8 kHz (plus 12 and 16 kHz if you want), getting quieter step by step until you say you can no longer hear them. The results go into a table and an audiogram-style chart, left ear in blue and right ear in red, ready to download as PNG or share by link. There is also a maximum frequency test: a sweep from 8 to 20 kHz where you mark the moment the sound disappears.
How to use it
- Put headphones on both ears, ideally wired, in a quiet room. Turn the device volume down before you start.
- Press Play 1 kHz tone and adjust the device volume and the page volume until the sound is very quiet but still clear. That is your reference level.
- Press Start the test. At each frequency the tone comes as three pulses: answer I hear it or I don't hear it. It drops 6 dB after every “I hear it” until it is gone; use Play again if you are not sure.
- The test runs through every frequency in the left ear, then the right. At the end you get the table, the chart and a short plain-language summary.
- To find out how high you can hear, run the 8 to 20 kHz sweep and press I stopped hearing it the moment the sound disappears.
Help and explanations
Important: this is not a medical exam. Your browser has no way of knowing how many decibels reach your ear, because that depends on the headphones, the volume and the noise around you. What the test shows are comparisons: one ear against the other, and one frequency against the rest. If something stands out, or if you feel you hear less than you used to, the next step is an audiogram with an audiologist or ENT doctor. To check the headphones first, use the left right headphone test.
How to read the chart
The chart follows the idea of an audiogram: frequencies run along the horizontal axis from low (125 Hz) to high, and the level at which you stopped hearing runs up the vertical axis, inverted. A high point means you could still hear the tone very quietly, far below the reference level; a low point means you only heard it close to the level you calibrated at. The ✕ on the bottom line marks a frequency you did not hear even at the reference level.
The numbers are relative, in dB below the 1 kHz tone you calibrated. A real exam uses dB HL with headphones calibrated in a sound booth, so the values here cannot be compared with a clinical audiogram. What matters is the shape: two similar lines with no sharp dips is what you would expect; one ear consistently below the other, or one frequency much weaker than its neighbours, is a reason to repeat with different headphones and, if it stays, to see a professional.
What limits the result
Headphones are the biggest factor. Cheap earbuds and the ones bundled with phones boost some frequencies and bury others, especially above 10 kHz; Bluetooth headphones compress the audio and may cut the highest treble. The same goes for a computer's sound output. Background noise hides the low and mid tones: a fan, traffic or a fridge is enough to change the result at 125 and 250 Hz.
That is why the maximum frequency test tells you where the whole chain gave up, not just your ear: if the sweep vanishes at 15 kHz, it may be the headphones. The upper limit also drops with age (many adults cannot hear above 15 to 17 kHz) and after exposure to loud sound, which is normal and not, on its own, a sign of a problem.
When to see a professional
See an audiologist or an ENT doctor if you find yourself asking people to repeat things, turning the TV up louder than others, hearing ringing, feeling your ear is blocked, or if you had pain, dizziness or a sudden loss in one ear. A booth audiogram measures hearing properly, with calibrated headphones and bone conduction, and it is the only way to know whether there is a loss and what kind. This test is for curiosity and self-awareness; it never confirms or rules anything out.
Tips
- Wired headphones and a quiet room give the most stable result; repeat on another day and compare.
- If several frequencies come out as “not heard”, calibrate again with the volume a little higher, without going past comfortable.
- Swap the headphones round (left cup on the right ear) and repeat: if the difference between ears follows the headphones, it is the headphones.
- Esc stops the sound immediately. Always start with the volume low: the test never exceeds a safe level, but the device volume is in your hands.
Frequently asked questions
Is this online hearing test reliable?
It is reliable for comparisons: left ear against right, and one frequency against the others, using the same headphones and the same volume. It does not measure how many decibels you hear, because the browser cannot know the real level coming out of your headphones. It does not replace an audiogram with an audiologist or ENT.
How high can a person hear?
The textbook range is 20 Hz to 20 kHz. In practice the upper limit falls through life: children often hear close to 20 kHz, young adults between 16 and 18 kHz, and from your forties it is common to be below 15 kHz. Headphones and sound cards also roll off before 20 kHz, so the number you get here belongs to the whole chain, not just your ear.
Why do I need to calibrate with the 1 kHz tone?
Because every other level is measured relative to it. If you calibrate to very quiet but clear, the tone at each frequency starts at that same level and drops 6 dB per step, and the chart shows how many steps below the reference you could still hear. Without calibration the points would have no common baseline.
Do I need headphones? Does it work on speakers?
You need headphones. The test plays into one ear at a time, and with speakers the sound reaches both. The room also changes what you hear in the bass a great deal. Wired headphones beat Bluetooth, which may compress the audio and cut the treble.
What does it mean if one ear scores worse than the other?
Suspect the headphones first: swap sides and repeat. If the difference follows the headphones, they are faulty; if it stays in the same ear, it may be earwax, a cold, water in the ear or a genuine difference in hearing. A large, consistent gap between the ears is one of the classic reasons to get an audiogram.
I could not hear 125 Hz or 250 Hz. Is that a problem?
Almost always not. Low tones are the ones most easily masked by background noise and the ones small earbuds reproduce least, especially if they do not seal the ear. Repeat in a quiet room with the headphones seated properly and compare both ears; if both lost the bass, it is the headphones or the room.
Can the test hurt my ears?
The generator never exceeds a safe level within the page, and the tones start at the reference you chose and only go down from there. Even so, the device volume is yours: start low, raise it gradually and, if any sound is uncomfortable, stop with Esc.