Online hearing range test
A quick frequency-sweep screening that shows roughly where your high-frequency hearing stops, with reference ranges by age. It is a screening tool, not a clinical audiogram.
Last reviewed on August 9, 2026
A quick frequency-sweep screening that shows roughly where your high-frequency hearing stops, with reference ranges by age. It is a screening tool, not a clinical audiogram.
Last reviewed on August 9, 2026
This is a screening tool, not a medical test. It plays tones through uncalibrated consumer headphones, so it can tell you roughly where your high-frequency hearing stops — nothing more. It cannot diagnose hearing loss. If you have ringing, sudden changes, pain, or trouble following conversation, see an audiologist.
Then repeat once. People routinely gain a kilohertz on a second attempt simply because they now know what to listen for.
Upper hearing limit falls with age in a very predictable way. This process, called presbycusis, is normal and universal — it is not damage, and there is nothing to fix.
| Age | Typical upper limit |
|---|---|
| Under 18 | 17–20 kHz |
| 18–24 | 16–19 kHz |
| 25–29 | 15–17 kHz |
| 30–39 | 14–16 kHz |
| 40–49 | 13–15 kHz |
| 50–59 | 12–14 kHz |
| 60+ | Often 8–12 kHz |
Two things follow from this table. First, losing the top of the range costs you very little in daily life: speech lives between about 250 Hz and 6 kHz, and music's fundamentals almost entirely below 5 kHz. Second, a result far below your age bracket is worth attention — but check your equipment before drawing conclusions, because cheap headphones and Bluetooth both cut the top end independently of your ears.
The dedicated guide on reading your hearing range result goes into patterns, asymmetry between ears, and when a screening result should prompt a real appointment.
A clinical audiogram measures the quietest level you can detect at each frequency, in calibrated decibels, in a soundproof booth, one ear at a time. This test does none of that. Specifically:
High-frequency loss from age is unavoidable. Loss from noise exposure is not, and it is cumulative and permanent. The practical rules:
No, and it does not claim to be. It plays tones through uncalibrated consumer headphones, so it can only indicate roughly where your high-frequency hearing stops. A clinical audiogram measures detection thresholds at each frequency in a soundproof booth.
Roughly 17 to 20 kHz under 18, 16 to 19 kHz at 18 to 24, 15 to 17 kHz at 25 to 29, 14 to 16 kHz in your thirties, 13 to 15 kHz in your forties, and often 8 to 12 kHz over 60.
Yes. Laptop and phone speakers cannot reproduce the highest tones at all, which produces a false result well below your actual hearing.
Not on its own. Losing the top of the range is normal age-related change called presbycusis, and it costs you very little in daily life because speech lives between about 250 Hz and 6 kHz.
If you have ringing in the ears, sudden changes in hearing, pain, a clear difference between your two ears, or difficulty following conversation in noisy rooms.
Volume setting, headphone quality, background noise, and knowing what to listen for all shift the result. People routinely gain a kilohertz on a second attempt.