Hearing Test: How Old Are Your Ears?
Listen to tones from 8,000 to 20,000 Hz and say whether you can hear them: you get the highest frequency you can hear and a rough hearing age. A second test compares your two ears. Nothing is recorded.
- Hearing age test
- Left and right ear test
- 8,000 to 20,000 Hz
- Nothing is recorded
100% private — Everything is processed directly in your browser: your files, voice, and image are never sent to Chatzam's servers.
How to take the hearing test
-
Set the volume
Put on headphones or wired earbuds, then use the reference tone to set a comfortable volume, never loud.
-
Listen to the tones
For each tone, answer "I can hear it" or "I can't hear it". In the ear-by-ear test, the tone gets quieter until you can no longer hear it.
-
Read your result
You see the highest frequency you heard and your approximate hearing age, or each ear's profile on a chart.
Two tests to get to know your hearing
How old are your ears
Ten pure tones from 8,000 to 20,000 Hz, from lowest to highest, to find your high-frequency limit.
Ear-by-ear test
Six frequencies from 250 to 8,000 Hz, left ear then right ear, with a tone that drops in 5 dB steps.
Chart and gap warning
Each ear's profile is shown on a chart, and a difference between left and right is flagged.
Nothing is recorded
The tones are generated by your browser and your answers are never sent or stored.
How old are your ears? Hearing age by frequency
As we get older, the ear loses the highest-pitched sounds first. This is presbycusis, a natural age-related hearing loss that starts early and can be sped up by noise exposure. The "How old are your ears" test plays tones from 8,000 to 20,000 Hz and keeps the highest one you can hear. Rough benchmarks: 18,000 Hz usually means under 20, 17,000 Hz under 25, 16,000 Hz under 30, 15,000 Hz under 40, 14,000 Hz under 45, 12,000 Hz under 55 and 10,000 Hz under 65. If you only hear 8,000 Hz or less, your ears are "older". These ranges are averages: it's normal to be above or below them.
Getting it right: headphones, volume and a quiet room
Your equipment matters as much as your ears. Many phone and laptop speakers struggle to play sounds above 15,000 or 16,000 Hz, so if you can't hear 17,000 Hz through your phone speaker, it doesn't necessarily mean your ears can't pick it up. Use headphones or wired earbuds, in a quiet room, away from a fan or a busy street. Set the volume with the reference tone so it's comfortable, then leave it alone. Never turn the volume up to "force" a frequency you can't hear: a very high-pitched tone played loud can become unpleasant, or even harmful.
Ear-by-ear test: what the chart shows, and its limits
The second test plays six frequencies, 250, 500, 1,000, 2,000, 4,000 and 8,000 Hz, first in the left ear and then in the right. The tone drops in 5 dB steps until you can no longer hear it. For each ear, the chart shows how each frequency compares with 1,000 Hz: it's a relative profile that helps you spot a frequency you hear less well or one ear that's weaker than the other. It is not a medical audiogram: your headphones and computer aren't calibrated, so the values aren't dB HL. If you struggle to follow conversations, have tinnitus or notice a clear difference between your ears, see an ENT doctor or an audiologist.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the highest frequency a human can hear?
Human hearing is usually said to range from 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz, but the upper limit drops with age. Many adults can no longer hear sounds above 15,000 or 16,000 Hz.
Why can't I hear the highest-pitched tones?
It's often age, sometimes noise exposure, but very often the equipment: phone and laptop speakers don't reproduce high frequencies well. Take the test again with headphones or wired earbuds.
Does this online hearing test replace an audiogram?
No. It gives an indication, not a diagnosis: the equipment isn't calibrated and the results aren't dB HL. Only an ENT doctor or an audiologist can measure your hearing accurately.
My two ears got different results. Should I worry?
A small difference can come from the headphones or how you're wearing them. Check your headphones and take the test again; if the difference remains or comes with discomfort or tinnitus, talk to an ENT doctor.
Is the hearing test free?
Yes, it's free and there's no sign-up. The tones are generated in your browser and your answers aren't saved.