White
0 dB / octave
Equal energy at every frequency. Because we hear in octaves, it sounds bright and hissy — the classic "TV static".
Tinnitus frequency test.
Match the ringing in your ears with a tone or a hiss and find its frequency. Useful to describe it to a doctor, and to choose sounds that make it less noticeable.
Now playing
Deep sleep
Match your tinnitus
Start quiet, quieter than your tinnitus. Choose a tone or a hiss, move the pitch until it sounds like your ringing, then fine-tune it, and check one octave up and down, a common mix-up. Stop if anything feels uncomfortable.
What tinnitus is
Tinnitus is hearing a sound, a ringing, hissing or buzzing, that has no outside source. It is very common: about one in seven adults has it, most often alongside some hearing loss after noise or with age, and for most people it is mild.
Knowing its pitch helps you describe it, and many people find a soft background sound such as pink noise, rain or a fan makes it less noticeable, especially at night. This page is not a diagnosis or a treatment: see a doctor if tinnitus is new, sudden, in one ear only, pulses with your heartbeat, or comes with dizziness or hearing loss.
Good to know
- Tinnitus usually sits near the frequencies where hearing is weakest, often 3 to 8 kHz after noise exposure.
- People often match their tinnitus an octave too high or too low, so always compare the octave above and below.
- Masking sounds do not cure tinnitus, but soft, steady sound can make it less intrusive; sound therapy is part of many treatment plans.
- Protecting your ears from loud noise is the best way to keep tinnitus from getting worse.
| What it sounds like | Often matched near | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| A high whistle | 4–8 kHz | The most common kind |
| A hiss, like steam | A band of noise around 4–8 kHz | Try the hiss setting |
| A low hum or roar | 125–500 Hz | Less common: tell your doctor |
| A pulse with your heartbeat | No fixed pitch | See a doctor: pulsing tinnitus should be checked |
How do I find my tinnitus frequency?
Start quiet, choose a tone or a hiss, and move the pitch slider until it sounds like your tinnitus. Fine-tune it, then check the octave above and below, which is easy to confuse.
Can sounds help with tinnitus?
Many people find soft, steady sounds such as pink noise, rain or a fan make tinnitus less noticeable, especially when falling asleep. They do not cure it.
When should I see a doctor about tinnitus?
If it is new, sudden, in one ear only, pulses with your heartbeat, or comes with hearing loss, dizziness or pain, see a doctor promptly.
Mixes
Pick what you need. One tap to start, change anything and save it as your own.
Focus timer
Work in waves.
The Pomodoro rhythm: focus with calm sound in your ears, then take a real break. A soft bell marks every change, so you never watch the clock. Every fourth break is a long one.
Every fourth break is twice as long.
25:00Focus · 1 of 4
Sound while you work
Breathe
Slow your breathing down.
Follow the circle and the sound: it rises as you breathe in and falls as you breathe out. Choose a rhythm, or set your own, and pick what plays underneath.
Ready
Sound while you breathe
Noise generator
Any color of noise, from deep brown to bright violet — and everything in between.
Brown noise
Spectrum · 20 Hz – 20 kHz
Sound science
The colors of noise
Same randomness, different tilt. Each color shifts energy between low and high pitches — here is what that sounds like.
Pink
−3 dB / octave
Equal energy in every octave, so it sounds even to the ear. Steady rain, rustling leaves. A favorite for focus.
Brown
−6 dB / octave
Deep and warm, like a distant waterfall or a plane cabin. Masks voices and traffic without any hiss.
Grey
Equal-loudness curve
Shaped around how our hearing works, so every pitch seems equally loud. Balanced and soft.
Blue
+3 dB / octave
The mirror of pink: more treble than bass. Airy, crisp, like a light spray.
Violet
+6 dB / octave
Mostly treble, like hissing water. Sometimes used to mask high-pitched ringing.
Calm
Gentle tones to settle into: singing bowls, a slow warm drone, wind chimes tuned so every note fits.
Frequencies
Famous tones on pages of their own: hear them side by side, with honest facts.
Sound phenomena
How sound bends, shifts, rings and fools the ear, and why space is silent: hear it for yourself.
Nature
Rooms & travel
Animals & countryside
A purring cat, whales and dolphins, a nightingale in the dark, cowbells on a summer pasture. Wonderful in stereo.
For babies
Womb sounds are what a baby heard for nine months: a deep rush of blood flow, and the heartbeat.
Hearing and speaker tests
Check your ears, headphones and speakers, each test on a page of its own with a live picture.
Ear Age · 60 seconds
Test your ears.
Our ears lose the highest pitches first, and it starts early. Find the highest tone you can still hear and see the typical age for it.
- Headphones on, quiet room
- Set a comfortable volume on the 1 kHz tone
- Don't turn it up when a tone disappears — that's the point
Step 1 · Volume
Play the reference tone and set your volume so it's clear but comfortable. Leave it there.
Step 2 · Listen
8,000Hz
Your result
8k12k16k20k
A rough guide, not a diagnosis. Your phone, headphones and even this browser can cut the highest tones. Worried about your hearing? See an audiologist.
More ear tests
Check your headphones, find the deepest bass your setup can play, or play any pitch you like.
Headphones check
Left & right
Each ear should get its own side. It matters for 8D, binaural beats and every stereo sound here.
Headphones on, then tap a side.
Bass test
How low can you go?
Deep tones from 200 Hz down to 20 Hz, the bottom of human hearing. Mostly it tests your speakers or headphones.
200Hz
Your setup plays down to
Tone generator
Any pitch, 20 Hz – 20 kHz
Hz
Start quiet: high tones and square waves get tiring fast.
Take it to bed
An app without the app store.
Add Ears & Waves to your home screen and it opens like any app — full screen, with its own icon. Everything it needs is saved on your device, so it keeps playing on a plane, in a tent or with Wi-Fi off.
Preparing offline mode…
- Works offlineNo streaming. Sound is computed on your device, forever.
- Screen offKeeps playing with the phone locked. The timer fades it out gently.
- PrivateNo account, no ads, no cookies. Your mixes stay on your device.
