17,400 Hz tone
The "mosquito" tone.
Volume first: turn your device down before you press play. Tones start quiet on purpose.
Raise the volume slowly once the sound is playing. High-frequency tones can seem silent and then turn painfully loud when volume goes up. Never raise the volume just because you hear nothing.
What 17,400 Hz is used for
The pitch of the Mosquito deterrent device and the famous "teen ringtone". Many adults over about 25 cannot hear it at normal listening levels.
| Period | 57.5 µs |
|---|---|
| Wavelength in air (20 °C) | 2.0 cm |
| One octave down / up | 8700 Hz / 34800 Hz |
The generator above starts at 17,400 Hz. You can still move the slider to any other frequency, or open the full tone generator.
Questions people ask
Why can't I hear the 17,400 Hz tone?
Hearing above 15 kHz fades with age for most people, and many phone speakers, earbuds and Bluetooth codecs cannot reproduce it at all. Silence here does not prove anything about your ears. Do not turn the volume up hard to find it.
How long is one cycle of 17,400 Hz?
57.5 microseconds. In room-temperature air the wavelength is about 2.0 centimetres.
Keep testing
- Tone generatorSine, square, triangle and sawtooth from 1 Hz to 22 kHz.
- Frequency sweepLogarithmic or linear sweeps over any range and duration.
- Hearing age testFind the highest frequency you can still hear.