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Hearing Test Online
A hearing test online is a quick way to check how well you hear different pitches, using nothing more than your computer or phone and a pair of headphones. This free test plays a series of pure tones, from a low 250 Hz hum up to a high 8,000 Hz whistle, first in your left ear and then in your right. You simply tap "I can hear it" or "I can't hear it" for each tone, and at the end you get the highest frequency you could hear in each ear, with a plain-English note about what it means.
It takes about two minutes, it costs nothing, and nothing you do here is recorded or sent anywhere — the whole test runs in your browser. It is a screening check, not a medical hearing test: it cannot measure how loud a sound needs to be before you hear it, and it cannot diagnose hearing loss. What it can do is give you a useful early signal. If the result surprises you, or if you already notice trouble following conversations, the next step is a proper hearing test with an audiologist.
Before you start: put on headphones, sit in a quiet room, and set your volume to a comfortable level — loud enough to hear clearly, never painfully loud. If any tone hurts, stop the test and turn the volume down.
Press "Start hearing test" to begin with your left ear.
How it works
Hearing is not one single ability — it changes with pitch. You can hear low sounds perfectly well and still miss high ones, or the other way round. A full hearing test checks each pitch separately, and this online version does the same thing in a simplified way. It plays six pure tones at fixed pitches: 250, 500, 1,000, 2,000, 4,000 and 8,000 hertz (Hz). Hertz is simply cycles per second: a 250 Hz tone vibrates 250 times a second and sounds like a low hum, while an 8,000 Hz tone vibrates 8,000 times a second and sounds like a thin whistle.
The test works one ear at a time because hearing often differs between ears. It starts with your left ear at the lowest tone and works upward. For each tone, press "Play tone" and listen carefully, then tap "I can hear it" or "I can't hear it". The test then moves to the next tone. When the left ear is done, it switches to the right ear and repeats the same six tones. At the end, the result shows the highest frequency you heard in each ear.
What the result means. Hearing all the way up to 8,000 Hz in an ear means that ear can pick up the full range this test covers, including the high sounds that usually fade first. Hearing up to 4,000 Hz covers the main speech range, so everyday conversation should still be clear, but the very highest sounds may be missing. Hearing only up to 1,000 or 2,000 Hz means some speech sounds — especially soft consonants like "s", "f" and "th" — may already be hard to catch, and a professional check is worth booking. If you cannot hear the 250 Hz tone, see a clinician soon.
How to get a fair result. Use proper headphones, not laptop speakers, so each tone goes to one ear only. Test in the quietest room you can find, and close windows and turn off fans or music first — background noise masks quiet high tones. Set the volume before you start and leave it alone during the test; turning it up halfway through makes the result meaningless. If you wear hearing aids, take them out first so you are measuring your natural hearing.
Worked example
Here is a sample run through the test, so you can see exactly what the result looks like.
Step 1: Maria puts on her headphones, sets the volume to a comfortable level, and presses "Start hearing test". The test begins with her left ear at 250 Hz.
Step 2: She taps "I can hear it" for 250 Hz, 500 Hz, 1,000 Hz, 2,000 Hz and 4,000 Hz, and then again for 8,000 Hz — she hears every tone in her left ear.
Step 3: The test switches to her right ear. She hears 250, 500, 1,000, 2,000 and 4,000 Hz, but when the 8,000 Hz tone plays she hears nothing, even after playing it twice. She taps "I can't hear it".
Step 4: The test is finished, so it works out the highest frequency heard in each ear: 8,000 Hz on the left and 4,000 Hz on the right.
Try it yourself: the tool gives exactly the same result — Left ear: heard up to 8,000 Hz · Right ear: heard up to 4,000 Hz, with the note that her right ear hears the full speech range but misses the highest tone tested, which is common and worth keeping an eye on, while her left ear heard the full range.
FAQ
Is an online hearing test accurate?
An online hearing test is a useful screening check, not a diagnosis. It can show which pitches you can and cannot hear, but it cannot measure how quiet a sound you can detect, because every device and pair of headphones plays sound at a different volume. Use it as an early warning, and book a professional test if the result worries you.
Do I need headphones for this hearing test?
Yes. Headphones are essential, because the test checks each ear separately. Laptop or phone speakers play sound into both ears at once, so you cannot tell which ear heard the tone. Over-ear or in-ear headphones both work.
What volume should I use for the test?
Set the volume to a comfortable listening level before you start — loud enough that the tones are clear, but never so loud that a tone feels sharp or painful. Then leave it alone for the whole test.
What if I can't hear the 250 Hz tone?
If you cannot hear the lowest tone at a comfortable volume, that is the strongest reason to book a professional hearing test. It may be something simple like earwax, but it is worth checking in person.
How often should I test my hearing?
Once a year is a sensible habit for most adults, and more often if you work in a noisy place, go to loud concerts, or use headphones at high volume a lot. Hearing usually changes slowly, so a yearly check spots changes early.