What is a normal human hearing range?

Textbook: 20 Hz to 20 kHz. Actual: most adults hear roughly 30 Hz to 17 kHz. Both ends narrow with age. High-end rolloff accelerates with noise exposure, while low-end rolloff is usually limited by your speakers or headphones rather than your ears.

Why can I hear 40 Hz but not 20 Hz?

Most likely your headphones. 20 Hz is close to the lower limit of both human hearing and consumer audio hardware. Below 40 Hz, small drivers cannot physically move enough air to produce audible sound. If you want to test the actual limit of your ears at the low end, use quality over-ear headphones with a rated response down to 20 Hz or below, or a subwoofer.

Why can I not hear 20 kHz?

Two reasons, both common. First: most consumer headphones roll off between 17 and 20 kHz, so the tone may not be reaching your ears at full volume. Second: only very young children reliably hear 20 kHz. By adulthood, healthy hearing typically tops out at 17 to 19 kHz. If you can hear 17 kHz clearly as an adult, your high-frequency hearing is fine.

What does it mean if my range is very narrow?

A narrow range (say, 100 Hz to 10 kHz) is worth checking with an audiologist. It suggests both bass and treble rolloff, which is more consistent with cochlear damage across the whole spectrum than with normal age-related high-frequency loss. Common causes include ototoxic medications, viral hearing loss, or advanced presbycusis.

Is bass hearing loss a real thing?

Yes, but it is much less common than high-frequency loss. Reverse-slope hearing loss (worse in the low end than the high end) affects a small percentage of hearing-impaired people and often has a genetic component. If this test suggests your low end is worse than expected, worth an audiologist visit because the pattern is unusual and can point to specific underlying causes.

Can this test detect tinnitus?

Not directly, though many people with tinnitus find their tinnitus tone falls near or above their hearing ceiling. If a specific test tone matches your tinnitus pitch, that overlap can happen coincidentally. A proper tinnitus assessment (tone matching, minimum masking level) requires an audiologist visit.

Does the volume calibration matter for accuracy?

Yes, more than most people realise. If your volume is too low, quiet tones will seem inaudible even when your ears could pick them up in a lab setting. If your volume is too high, you risk damaging your hearing during the test and you will hear tones that would actually be silent at normal listening levels. The 1 kHz reference tone at the start exists specifically so you can set volume in a way that is consistent between test attempts.

Does the test work on iPhone Safari?

Yes, on iOS 14.3 and later. Safari requires a user tap to start the audio context, which is handled by the Start button. Turn off the physical mute switch and set volume up before starting.

Frequency Range Test

Find both ends of your hearing range. Tests from 20 Hz (deep bass, felt more than heard) all the way to 22 kHz (ultrasonic, mostly for kids and dogs). Takes about 90 seconds. Free, no signup, nothing recorded.

Ready when you are

Wear headphones. Good headphones ideally. Cheap earbuds and laptop speakers roll off at both extremes.
Quiet room. Background noise masks the softer tones you're checking for.
Do not change volume mid-test. Set it once with the reference tone and leave it.

Nothing is recorded or uploaded. The test runs entirely in your browser.

What the test measures

Human hearing covers 20 Hz to 20 kHz in ideal conditions, but that idealised range is for young children in a lab. Most adults hear roughly 30 Hz to 17 kHz, with both ends narrowing as you age. This test probes both ends of your personal range using pure sine tones.

The low end tests bass perception, which depends more on your headphones than your ears (most consumer headphones roll off below 40 Hz). The high end tests treble, which depends more on your ears and is the classic measure of age-related and noise-induced hearing loss.

How the test works

Reference tone at 1 kHz lets you set your volume comfortably before the test starts.
Low sweep: 200, 100, 80, 60, 40, 30, 20 Hz in sequence. Say Yes if you hear it, Silent if not. The lowest Yes wins.
High sweep: 8, 10, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 kHz in sequence. The highest Yes wins.
Result: your personal audible range in Hz, plus what your low and high thresholds typically indicate.

What is a normal audible range?

Range you hear	What it means
20 Hz to 20 kHz	Textbook ideal, rare in adults. Usually only very young children in lab conditions.
30 Hz to 18 kHz	Excellent adult range. Young adult with well-preserved hearing.
40 Hz to 16 kHz	Typical adult under 40 with normal hearing.
50 Hz to 14 kHz	Typical mid-life range (40s to 50s), functional for speech and music.
60 Hz to 12 kHz	Age-related high-frequency rolloff evident. Speech in noise starts to feel harder.
80 Hz to 10 kHz	Meaningful hearing loss at the extremes. Consider an audiologist visit.
Above 100 Hz only	Bass perception weak or your headphones are the limit. Bass depends heavily on driver size and seal.
Below 8 kHz only	Significant high-frequency loss. Common with heavy noise-exposure history.

Why the two ends behave differently

The low end depends on your equipment

Bass reproduction requires physical air movement, which small speakers cannot do well. Laptop speakers typically roll off below 100 Hz. Earbuds vary widely, most below 50 Hz. Over-ear headphones and dedicated subwoofers do better. If you cannot hear 40 Hz, it is more likely a hardware limit than a hearing limit unless your bass hearing is genuinely reduced (which is rarer than treble loss).

The high end depends on your ears

Treble reproduction is easy for almost any headphone up to about 17 kHz, so if you cannot hear high frequencies, it is almost always your ears. High-frequency loss is the most common form of hearing decline. It shows up first as difficulty catching consonants (s, t, f, th) in noisy places. If your top-end ceiling is below what your age band suggests, past noise exposure is the most common cause.

Accuracy limits of a browser frequency test

Same caveats as any browser hearing test. Your speaker or headphone frequency response is not calibrated, and browser audio output does not measure sound pressure level. This means the test tells you the shape of your range (where the extremes roll off) but not the actual dB threshold at each frequency. For a diagnostic audiogram with dB HL thresholds at every clinical frequency, see an audiologist. The Hearing Loss Association of America maintains a directory of certified providers.

How this compares to our other hearing tools

Hearing age test: tests only the top-of-range frequency and maps it to an approximate "hearing age" (viral loop, single number result). Faster (60 seconds) but only checks one end.
Frequency range test (this page): checks both ends of your spectrum with more low-end resolution. Better for understanding your full hearing profile.
Decibel meter: measures your environment's loudness, not your hearing.
Safe listening time calculator: given a loudness reading, tells you how long that exposure is safe.

Frequently asked questions

What is a normal human hearing range?: Textbook: 20 Hz to 20 kHz. Actual: most adults hear roughly 30 Hz to 17 kHz. Both ends narrow with age. High-end rolloff accelerates with noise exposure, while low-end rolloff is usually limited by your speakers or headphones rather than your ears.
Why can I hear 40 Hz but not 20 Hz?: Most likely your headphones. 20 Hz is close to the lower limit of both human hearing and consumer audio hardware. Below 40 Hz, small drivers cannot physically move enough air to produce audible sound. If you want to test the actual limit of your ears at the low end, use quality over-ear headphones with a rated response down to 20 Hz or below, or a subwoofer.
Why can I not hear 20 kHz?: Two reasons, both common. First: most consumer headphones roll off between 17 and 20 kHz, so the tone may not be reaching your ears at full volume. Second: only very young children reliably hear 20 kHz. By adulthood, healthy hearing typically tops out at 17 to 19 kHz. If you can hear 17 kHz clearly as an adult, your high-frequency hearing is fine.
What does it mean if my range is very narrow?: A narrow range (say, 100 Hz to 10 kHz) is worth checking with an audiologist. It suggests both bass and treble rolloff, which is more consistent with cochlear damage across the whole spectrum than with normal age-related high-frequency loss. Common causes include ototoxic medications, viral hearing loss, or advanced presbycusis.
Is bass hearing loss a real thing?: Yes, but it is much less common than high-frequency loss. Reverse-slope hearing loss (worse in the low end than the high end) affects a small percentage of hearing-impaired people and often has a genetic component. If this test suggests your low end is worse than expected, worth an audiologist visit because the pattern is unusual and can point to specific underlying causes.
Can this test detect tinnitus?: Not directly, though many people with tinnitus find their tinnitus tone falls near or above their hearing ceiling. If a specific test tone matches your tinnitus pitch, that overlap can happen coincidentally. A proper tinnitus assessment (tone matching, minimum masking level) requires an audiologist visit.
Does the volume calibration matter for accuracy?: Yes, more than most people realise. If your volume is too low, quiet tones will seem inaudible even when your ears could pick them up in a lab setting. If your volume is too high, you risk damaging your hearing during the test and you will hear tones that would actually be silent at normal listening levels. The 1 kHz reference tone at the start exists specifically so you can set volume in a way that is consistent between test attempts.
Does the test work on iPhone Safari?: Yes, on iOS 14.3 and later. Safari requires a user tap to start the audio context, which is handled by the Start button. Turn off the physical mute switch and set volume up before starting.