AudioTestPro

Online hearing test

A free five-minute check of each ear at six standard frequencies. It shows where your ears differ, so you know whether it is worth booking a professional test.

Before you start

  1. Use wired or Bluetooth headphones, not speakers, so each ear is tested separately.
  2. Find the quietest room you can. Background noise hides quiet tones.
  3. Turn off noise cancelling boosts, EQ, "spatial audio" and mono audio.
  4. It takes about 5 minutes. You will hear three short beeps at a time and answer whether you heard them.

Not a medical test. Results depend on your device, headphones and room, which are uncalibrated. They show differences between your ears and across pitches, not your real hearing level. If you notice sudden hearing loss, ear pain or persistent ringing, contact a doctor promptly.

How this hearing test works

The test plays three short beeps at a time into one ear. Each time you hear them, the next set is 10 dB quieter; each time you miss them, it gets 5 dB louder. This "down 10, up 5" pattern is the same principle audiologists use (the modified Hughson-Westlake method), and it homes in on the quietest level you can reliably hear. The test repeats this at 1, 2, 4 and 8 kHz, then 500 and 250 Hz, for each ear.

Because your volume setting and headphones are unknown, the result is shown relative to your own most sensitive frequency. What matters is the shape of each line and the gap between the ears, not the absolute numbers.

What this test can and cannot tell you

  • It can reveal a clear difference between your ears, or a frequency one ear barely hears.
  • It cannot detect a hearing loss that is equal in both ears, give you a hearing level in dB HL, or diagnose a cause.
  • It is affected by headphone quality, background noise, earbud fit and any sound "enhancements" your device applies.

When to see an audiologist

The World Health Organization estimates that over 1.5 billion people live with some degree of hearing loss, and that many cases go unaddressed for years. Book a professional hearing assessment if you:

  • often ask people to repeat themselves or struggle in noisy restaurants;
  • turn the TV up louder than others like;
  • have ringing or buzzing in your ears (tinnitus);
  • notice one ear is worse than the other, here or in daily life.

Sudden hearing loss in one ear is a medical emergency. The US National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) advises seeing a doctor immediately, because treatment works best when started quickly.

Protecting the hearing you have

The WHO's safe listening guidance suggests keeping personal audio below 60% of maximum volume and taking listening breaks. If you cannot hear someone speaking to you at arm's length while wearing headphones, your music is too loud.

Why the level slider is in decibels

Your ear handles an enormous range of loudness, from the faintest audible sound to the threshold of pain, roughly a million-fold change in sound pressure. Decibels squash that range into a manageable scale: every 20 dB is a tenfold change in pressure, and about 10 dB sounds roughly twice as loud. Move the slider and compare the bar with the number.

Signal amplitude
3.2%
Signal power
0.10%

At −40 dBFS the waveform is just 1% of full scale, yet it is still clearly audible on most devices. That is why the tests here start low: most of the useful range lives in the bottom few percent of the slider's physical travel.

Questions people ask

Is this online hearing test accurate?

It is reliable for comparing your two ears and spotting a pitch where one ear is weaker, if you use headphones in a quiet room. It cannot measure hearing thresholds in dB HL, because your device, headphones and room are not calibrated. Only an audiologist's test in a sound-treated booth can do that.

What frequencies does the test check?

250, 500, 1000, 2000, 4000 and 8000 Hz in each ear, the same octave frequencies used in a standard pure-tone audiogram.

What does it mean if one ear is weaker?

First rule out the equipment: swap your headphones round and repeat. If the same ear is weaker again, it could be anything from earwax to a problem that needs treatment. The NHS and ASHA both advise getting a professional hearing test when one ear seems different from the other.

Why is 4 kHz often the weakest?

Noise-induced hearing loss typically appears first around 3 to 6 kHz, producing a dip known as the "noise notch". Years of loud music, concerts, power tools or firearms are common causes. It can also be your headphones, so treat it as a prompt, not a conclusion.

How often should I get my hearing checked?

ASHA suggests adults get a baseline hearing test and repeat screening regularly, more often after 50 or with regular noise exposure. See a professional sooner if you notice any change.

Is my hearing data stored?

Only your last result, in your own browser's localStorage, so you can compare over time. Nothing is sent to a server. You can clear it with one button.

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