Hearing test online free: a tone check for each ear
This free online hearing test plays seven short tones in each ear, from 250 to 8000 Hz, and charts the quietest step at which you hear each one, a curiosity check on your device rather than an audiogram or a diagnosis. For how far online results can be trusted, read are online hearing tests accurate?, and for the full clinical exam, how hearing tests work.
Start the tone check
Use headphones, sit in the quietest room you have, and set your device volume before you begin. The test plays one short tone at a time. It never plays a loud sound.
Your result
Set your volume with the reference tone, then start the test. When you finish, this area will show what the steps mean, a chart for each ear, and the highest frequency you heard. With JavaScript off, the method and scoring rules are described above.
This is not a diagnosis. It uses your device volume and headphones, not calibrated audiometric equipment. Talk to a doctor or audiologist if you have trouble following conversation, ringing, one ear worse than the other, or any warning sign.
This tone check cannot measure dB HL and cannot replace an audiogram. Sudden hearing loss in one ear needs a doctor within days, ideally within 72 hours. Do not wait to see whether it improves.
Get prompt care for these signs. Sudden hearing loss in one ear needs a doctor within days, ideally within 72 hours. Ringing in one ear only, pulsing ringing in time with your heartbeat, ringing with vertigo, facial weakness, severe headache, or ear pain with fever or discharge also need prompt medical care. If distressing ringing has you thinking about self-harm, call or text the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline in the US.
How this online hearing test works
The test plays a 1000 Hz reference tone at a comfortable volume. Each ear is tested separately. For each frequency, the tone starts at the quietest of six steps and rises one step on Nothing yet; the first step heard is recorded. Tones fade in and out to avoid clicks; the loudest step is only slightly above the reference. Frequencies: 250, 500, 1000, 2000, 4000, 6000, and 8000 Hz.
Steps are relative to your device, not dB HL. Step 1 sits near the top, so a higher point means a quieter step. A browser cannot calibrate headphones, so treat the result as a pattern.
How to read your result
The tool sorts the pattern into five site bands: all tones heard, high-frequency dip, one ear weaker, broad dip, or incomplete. They are not clinical categories.
- All tones heard means every tone was audible and no relative high-frequency or one-ear difference crossed the site thresholds. It does not mean normal hearing.
- High-frequency dip means the 4000, 6000, and 8000 Hz tones needed louder steps or some were not heard. Age-related loss often begins here: adults aged 45 to 55 with normal audiograms had higher thresholds above 8 kHz than younger adults,1 and high-frequency sloping patterns were more common in men aged 55 to 65.2 Headphones and volume can also create a dip.
- One ear weaker means one ear missed at least two more tones, or its steps added up to at least five more. A true difference deserves a clinical check, especially if new or with ringing or dizziness. Reseat the headphones and repeat once.
- Broad dip means at least two lower or middle tones were missed, or most tones were heard only at the loudest steps. Background noise, volume, and headphone fit can cause it. If conversation is hard, book a hearing test.
- Incomplete means you stopped before all 14 tones; the chart shows only what you tested.
Every band describes this device, not a diagnosis. If the pattern is new, one-sided, or comes with ringing or dizziness, talk to a doctor. Sudden hearing loss in one ear needs care within days, ideally within 72 hours.
What a real audiogram is
A clinical audiogram maps the quietest sounds you hear at each frequency in dB HL. It uses calibrated equipment, usually in a sound-treated room, and checks air and bone conduction, with masking when needed.45 Results are plotted from 250 to 8000 Hz and read with your history. Smartphone screening can flag probable loss but does not replace conventional audiometry.6
Who should book a hearing test
Hearing loss affects at least 25 percent of people older than 50 and more than half of those older than 80.4 Book a test if you often ask people to repeat themselves, struggle in noisy rooms, turn up the television, hear ringing, or notice one ear is worse. The tinnitus guideline recommends an audiologic examination for one-sided, persistent, or bothersome ringing with hearing difficulty.7
Do not delay care. If hearing drops suddenly in one ear, see a doctor within days, ideally within 72 hours. The sudden hearing loss guideline says treatment is most timely within two weeks and audiometry within 14 days.8
What the frequencies mean
250 and 500 Hz are low pitches, 1000 and 2000 Hz sit in speech, and 4000 to 8000 Hz are high pitches, where consonants such as s, f, and th carry much of their sound. Age-related loss often shows up first at high frequencies.12 Many speakers and cheap headphones reproduce 8000 Hz poorly, so retest with headphones before concluding.
Limits and when to talk to a doctor
This check cannot measure hearing thresholds, middle ear health, bone conduction, speech understanding, or hearing in noise. It cannot see wax, fluid, infection, or a perforated eardrum, or tell you whether you need a hearing aid or why you have ringing. One result is a snapshot.
Talk to a doctor or audiologist if conversation is hard, ringing is new or one-sided, one ear is worse, or the result worries you. Do not stop or change medication because of this page. For wax, follow the cerumen guideline: no cotton swabs inside the canal, no ear candles. Drops or irrigation are only for people without a perforated eardrum, ear surgery, diabetes, or other modifying factors, and stop if pain starts.9
Warning signs need prompt care: sudden hearing loss in one ear, ringing in one ear only, pulsing ringing with your heartbeat, ringing with vertigo, facial weakness, severe headache, or ear pain with fever or discharge.7810 Distressing ringing with thoughts of self-harm is a crisis; in the US, call or text the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Our articles on pulsatile tinnitus, ringing in one ear, ringing with headaches or dizziness, and ways people manage ringing explain these patterns.
What to bring to a doctor
Note when the change started, which ear is affected, and whether it came with ringing, dizziness, pain, or discharge. List your medications and noise exposure. If you took this test, bring the chart and say the steps are relative, not dB HL. A clinician may examine your ears or arrange a test.
Questions people ask
Is this online hearing test accurate?
It is not a clinical test. A validated smartphone screening tool can identify probable hearing loss in some studies, but it does not replace conventional audiometry.6 This page is simpler: seven tones, your device volume, no calibration. Treat the result as a pattern.
Why did I hear nothing at 8000 Hz?
Many headphones and speakers reproduce 8000 Hz poorly, and high-frequency loss also becomes more common with age.13 Try once more with well-fitting headphones, in a quiet room, at the same volume. If 8000 Hz is absent in one ear only, or the change is sudden, have your hearing checked.
Does ringing mean I have hearing loss?
Not necessarily. Tinnitus is reported by 10 to 15 percent of adults and can occur with or without measurable hearing loss.7 The guideline recommends an audiologic examination when ringing is one-sided, persistent, or comes with hearing difficulty. If it pulses with your heartbeat, comes with vertigo, facial weakness, or a severe headache, seek care promptly. Our article on stress and tinnitus covers the overlap.
Should I take a supplement for ringing?
If you are considering a supplement for ringing, our comparison guide sets out what the labels and trials show.
Sources: Monteiro de Castro Silva and Feitosa, "High-frequency audiometry in young and older adults when conventional audiometry is normal," Brazilian Journal of Otorhinolaryngology, 2006 (PMID 17221060); Demeester et al., "Audiometric shape and presbycusis," International Journal of Audiology, 2009 (PMID 19363723); Aziz et al., "Early Detection of High-frequency Presbycusis Among Normal Hearing Individuals," Otology and Neurotology, 2020 (PMID 32472918); Walker et al., "Audiometry screening and interpretation," American Family Physician, 2013 (PMID 23317024); Salmon et al., "Audiogram Interpretation," StatPearls, 2026 (PMID 35201707); Rodrigues et al., "Validity of hearTest Smartphone-Based Audiometry for Hearing Screening in Workers Exposed to Noise," Journal of the American Academy of Audiology, 2021 (PMID 33296933); Tunkel et al., "Clinical practice guideline: tinnitus," Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, 2014 (PMID 25273878); Chandrasekhar et al., "Clinical Practice Guideline: Sudden Hearing Loss (Update)," Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, 2019 (PMID 31369359); Schwartz et al., "Clinical Practice Guideline (Update): Earwax (Cerumen Impaction)," Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, 2017 (PMID 28045591); Rosenfeld et al., "Clinical practice guideline: acute otitis externa," Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, 2014 (PMID 24491310).
This tool is general information and is not medical advice. It cannot diagnose hearing loss or tinnitus. Talk to your doctor before changing your health routine if you have a medical condition or take medication.