Hearing Test Tone Generator — 20 Hz to 20 kHz
Sine tones and sweeps to find your audible range
Runs in your browser · nothing is uploaded
Start with the volume low, and be extra careful with earphones and headphones. High frequencies can seem quiet and then suddenly feel loud. Turn your device volume to the middle or lower before you start, and stop at once if your ears feel uncomfortable.
Output side
0 to 50%. This tool will not go louder than 50%.
20 to 20,000 Hz. The slider uses a log scale, so the low end is spread out.
Common frequencies
The sound stops automatically when you switch to another tab.
Phone and laptop speakers, and many earphones, cannot reproduce very low or very high frequencies well, so your result reflects the device as much as your ears. We do not show age-based averages.
A tool for listening to tones out of curiosity and for reference. It is not calibrated in dB HL and is not a hearing test, so it cannot diagnose hearing loss. See an ear, nose and throat doctor if one ear seems weaker, ringing (tinnitus) does not go away, or your hearing drops suddenly.
What it is
This page generates pure sine tones in your browser with Web Audio, so there are no audio files to download. Pick any frequency from a deep 20 Hz rumble to a 20,000 Hz whine, and send it to the left ear, the right ear or both. In sweep mode the pitch glides smoothly over a set time, and you press a button at the moment the tone vanishes or appears to record the highest frequency you can hear. It is a quick way to check that both sides of your earphones work, or to satisfy curiosity about how high you can still hear. The loudness is not calibrated, so it is not a substitute for a clinical hearing test.
How to use
- Turn your device volume to the middle or lower, and leave this tool’s volume at its 10% default to begin.
- Choose which side should play: left, right or both.
- In single tone mode, type a frequency or use the slider or one of the preset buttons, then press Play.
- In sweep mode, choose a direction and a length (20 seconds by default) and press Start sweep.
- On a rising sweep, press “I can’t hear it now” when the tone fades out; on a falling sweep, press “I can hear it now” when it fades in.
- Read the recorded frequency for each side in the table. Switching to another tab stops the sound automatically.
How it works
- The slider is logarithmic: position p from 0 to 1000 maps to 20 × 1000^(p/1000) Hz, so the middle is about 632 Hz and 1,000 Hz sits near position 566.
- Sweeps are exponential: the frequency after t seconds is f(t) = start × (end ÷ start)^(t ÷ length).
- Volume is capped at 0 to 50%, and the output gain is the square of that fraction so the low end is gentler. Tones fade in and out over about 50 ms to avoid clicks.
- Frequencies under 10,000 Hz are shown as whole hertz; from 10,000 Hz on they are shown in kHz with one decimal.
- There is no age-based reference table.
Examples
Frequency over time on a 20-second rising sweep from 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz:
| Time elapsed | Frequency |
|---|---|
| 0 s | 20 Hz |
| 5 s | 112 Hz |
| 10 s | 632 Hz |
| 15 s | 3,557 Hz |
| 20 s | 20.0 kHz |
Pressing the button at 10 seconds records 632 Hz.
Good to know
Always start quiet so a sudden tone does not startle or hurt you, and stop right away if your ears ache or feel blocked. If one ear seems weaker or ringing does not go away, see an ear, nose and throat doctor. The reaction time test and the screen eye chart test are nearby if you want more quick self-checks.
FAQ
Is this a real hearing test?
No. Clinical hearing tests use equipment calibrated in dB HL, while the loudness here depends on your device volume and speakers. Use it out of curiosity, and see an ear, nose and throat doctor if you suspect hearing loss.
I cannot hear the high tones. Is my hearing bad?
Not necessarily. Phone and laptop speakers and many earphones cannot reproduce very high or very low frequencies well. The result mixes your ears with your device, and this tool cannot tell which is which.
What volume should I use?
Start at the default 10% and raise it slowly. The tool will not go above 50%. Keep your device volume at the middle or lower too, and start especially quiet with earphones.
Which sweep direction is better?
On a rising sweep you press when the tone disappears; on a falling sweep you press when it first becomes audible. The two can differ a little, so try both and compare.
Left and right sound the same.
A single speaker or one earbud cannot separate the sides. Use both earphones or headphones. If your browser cannot split the channels, the page says so and plays on both sides.
Related tools
Eye Chart Test
Calibrated Landolt C rings for a rough acuity self-check
Color Vision Test
Ten generated dot plates for a red-green colour self-check
Reaction Time Test
A click-on-green reaction time test with five-try average and median
20-20-20 Eye Break Timer
20 minutes of work, a 20-second look into the distance, on repeat