Hearing test
Check each ear with headphones in a few minutes, and keep the result for your next doctor visit.
PrivateNo uploadsRuns in your browser1. Get ready
- Sit in a quiet room and put on headphones. Earbuds work too.
- Turn your device volume low, then play the chimes. Each should come from one side only.
- Play the reference beeps and set the volume so they are soft but clear.
Keep it low. No tone should ever feel loud or uncomfortable. Once set, do not change the volume until you finish.
2. Ear by ear check
Beeps play in one ear at a time, getting softer until you stop hearing them. Takes about 4 minutes per ear.
Or test one tone:
3. Hearing age
A high tone rises slowly until it is too high to hear. Press It is gone the moment it disappears.
Phone and laptop speakers, and some headphones, stop before 16 kHz. Try good headphones before you trust a low score.
4. Match the ringing
Hear ringing or hissing? Play a sound and move the pitch until it is close to yours.
How to check your hearing at home
Put on headphones
Sit in a quiet room. Check the left and right chimes, then set the reference tone to soft but clear.
Press when you hear beeps
Tones get softer and louder at random times. Press I hear it, or the Space key, every time you hear one.
Read your chart
See each ear on the chart, try the hearing age and tinnitus match, then copy or download your results.
Good to know
- Wired headphones over the ears give the most even results. Bluetooth earbuds can lower soft sounds on their own.
- Turn off noise cancelling and any sound boosting or equaliser before you start.
- Press for every beep you hear, even if you are not sure. Some rounds are silent on purpose.
- Test again on another day. Colds, wax and tiredness can change results for a while.
- Press Esc to pause the check or stop any sound.
Questions people ask
Can an online hearing test tell me if I have hearing loss?
No. It is a quick check that can show if one ear is weaker, or if high tones are harder for you. Only a hearing test with a hearing care professional, in a quiet booth with calibrated equipment, can measure hearing loss. If anything here worries you, book one.
Why do I need headphones?
The test plays each ear on its own. Speakers send sound to both ears and into the room, so you could not compare your left and right ears. Wired headphones that cover the ears work best.
Why are the results relative and not real dB HL?
A browser cannot know how loud your headphones really are. So you set a reference tone at the start, and every result is shown as how much louder or softer than your own best tone you needed. This is good for comparing your ears and tones, not for a medical number.
What is my hearing age?
As we get older, the highest tones we can hear slowly drop. Young people hear up to about 17 to 20 kHz, many adults around 40 hear up to about 15 kHz, and by 60 it is often near 8 to 10 kHz. Your highest tone is matched to these typical ages. Small speakers and some headphones stop early, so a low result may be your device.
I have ringing in my ears. How does the tinnitus match help?
Move the pitch slider until the sound is close to your ringing, and choose tone or hiss. Telling a doctor or audiologist the pitch, the ear and whether it is a tone or a hiss helps them understand it. Sudden ringing in one ear, or ringing with dizziness or hearing loss, needs a doctor soon.
Is this hearing test safe?
Yes, if you keep the volume low. Every tone starts soft and the loudest is capped. Set your device volume low before you put on headphones, and never turn it up so far that a tone feels uncomfortable.
Is anything recorded or sent?
No. All tones are made in your browser and your answers stay on this device. Nothing is uploaded.