How Old Are Your Ears?
A quick frequency test to estimate your hearing age. Put on headphones, listen for tones, and find out how your ears are holding up.
Put on headphones for best results
You'll hear tones at increasing frequencies. After each one, tell us if you heard it.
Not a medical diagnostic. Results vary with headphones and environment.
Concerned about your hearing?
The Hearing Buddy app gives you real-time captions for every conversation. On-device processing means your audio stays completely private. Like having a buddy who catches every word for you.
Understanding Your Hearing Age
How Aging Affects Hearing
Age-related hearing loss (presbycusis) is one of the most common conditions affecting older adults. It starts with the highest frequencies — sounds like birdsong, consonants in speech, and alarm beeps. The tiny hair cells in your cochlea that detect these high pitches are the first to wear down, and once they're gone, they don't regenerate.
What Your Hearing Age Means
Your "hearing age" reflects how far your high-frequency hearing has declined compared to typical age ranges. A 30-year-old with a hearing age of 45 might still hear conversations perfectly fine — it just means the very highest pitches are fading earlier than average. It's a signal, not a diagnosis.
Protecting Hearing at Any Age
The best thing you can do is protect the hearing you have. Use earplugs at concerts, follow the 60/60 rule for headphones (60% volume, 60-minute breaks), and avoid prolonged exposure to anything louder than 85 decibels. Small habits today add up to years of better hearing tomorrow.
Questions & Answers
This is a fun screening tool, not a medical test. Results depend heavily on your headphones, volume settings, and listening environment. It gives you a general idea of your high-frequency hearing, but a proper audiologist visit is the gold standard for real diagnostics.
High-frequency hearing loss is completely normal and happens to everyone as they age. The tiny hair cells in your inner ear that detect high-pitched sounds are the most delicate, and they naturally wear down over time. Noise exposure, genetics, and overall health can speed this up.
Once high-frequency hearing cells are damaged, they don't grow back. But you can absolutely protect what you have. Wearing hearing protection in loud environments, keeping earphone volumes moderate, and staying on top of your overall health all help preserve your hearing for years to come.
Most people begin losing the very highest frequencies (above 16,000 Hz) in their mid-20s. It's gradual and usually goes unnoticed for years. By your 40s and 50s, the loss moves into frequencies that can start affecting everyday conversations.
Yes, significantly. Different headphones reproduce high frequencies differently. Cheap earbuds may not produce sounds above 14,000 Hz at all, which could make your results seem worse than reality. For the most accurate results, use quality over-ear headphones in a quiet room.
Not necessarily. This test is just a rough guide. Headphone quality, volume calibration, and background noise all affect your score. If you're concerned about your hearing in daily life — missing conversations, asking people to repeat themselves — that's a better reason to visit an audiologist.
Hear what you've been missing
Whether your hearing age surprised you or not, Hearing Buddy helps you catch every word in the conversations that matter most.
Available on iPhone, Apple Watch, and Mac