Two notes, one question: was the second one higher or lower? Ready when you are!
Am I tone deaf?
Almost nobody is truly tone deaf. This free test plays pairs of notes and, in about two minutes, finds the smallest pitch difference you can hear, so you can see it for yourself.
- Free
- No mic, no account
- About 2 minutes
- Results stay in your browser
The test
Twenty pairs of notes. After each pair, say whether the second note was higher or lower. The pairs get closer as you go.
Headphones help. Turn your sound on.
What tone deaf really means
True tone deafness has a name, congenital amusia, and it is rare: studies put it at roughly 1 or 2 people in a hundred. People with it find even big pitch steps hard to tell apart, often a whole piano key or more, and usually don't notice a wrong note in a tune they know.
Most people who call themselves tone deaf hear pitch just fine. Singing in tune is a different skill, matching your voice to what you hear, and it grows with practice like any other.
This is a quick listening check, not a diagnosis. It measures one thing, on one day, through your speakers, and it says nothing about whether you can learn to sing.
How the test works
Each pair starts on a different note, so you can't lean on memory. The first pair is four piano keys apart, and the gap closes after right answers and opens after misses until it settles where you're right about seven times in ten. That gap is your result.
It is shown in bits: 1 bit is a tenth of a piano key, or 10 cents. Tap any bits number to see it in cents. Want to hear what different gaps sound like? Try the interval pages, or play today's tune.