How the vocal range test works
You need a microphone and about a minute. This test measures how low and how high you can sing; hearing small differences between two notes is a separate skill, which the tone deaf test checks. Press Start vocal range test and allow microphone access when the browser asks.
- Lowest note. Start on a relaxed "ah" in your speaking voice and slide down slowly. The page shows the note you are singing (for example A2) and its frequency in hertz. When you cannot go any lower without croaking, press That's my lowest.
- Highest note. Slide up from a comfortable note on "ee" or "oo". Falsetto counts. Stop before it hurts or cracks, then press That's my highest.
If a step went wrong (a cough, a door slam, a note you could not really hold), press Start this step again to clear only that step.
A note only counts when you hold it steady. The test analyses your voice about 30 times per second, and a note is accepted when at least 6 analyses in a row stay within one semitone of each other, roughly 0.2 seconds. A quick squeak or a slide that never settles does not move your range.
How your pitch is measured
The microphone signal is analysed with the YIN algorithm, a well-tested method for finding the fundamental frequency of speech and singing (de Cheveigné and Kawahara, 2002). It looks for the repeating period in the waveform and converts it to a frequency between 60 and 1,400 Hz, which covers the singing range of almost every adult voice.
Browsers normally clean up microphone audio for video calls with noise suppression, echo cancellation and automatic gain. These features can bend or hide pitch, so this test asks for the raw signal instead. The audio is analysed frame by frame in memory and thrown away immediately. Nothing is recorded, saved or uploaded.
Notes use scientific pitch names: C4 is middle C on a piano, and A4 is the 440 Hz tuning note. The bar under the note runs from C2 to C6 and fills in your range as you sing.
Reading your result
Your result is the distance between your lowest and highest steady note, shown in octaves with one decimal (12 semitones = 1 octave). For example, A2 to A4 is 2.0 octaves. The result card saves your best range in this browser so you can watch it change as you practise.
The card also names the closest conventional voice type for that range. The test compares your notes with these approximate choir ranges:
| Voice type | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Bass | E2–E4 |
| Baritone | A2–A4 |
| Tenor | C3–C5 |
| Alto | F3–F5 |
| Mezzo-soprano | A3–A5 |
| Soprano | C4–C6 |
These ranges are conventions, and books and choir directors place the edges a step or two differently. The lowest note counts twice as much as the highest in the matching, because untrained singers usually fall short at the top long before the bottom changes.
Treat the voice type as a hint, not a label. Teachers classify voices by tone colour, by where the voice feels easy and strong (the tessitura), and by where register changes happen. Two singers with the same range can be different voice types.
Getting a fair result
- Warm up first. Hum, do a few lip trills and gentle slides for a couple of minutes. Cold voices lose notes at both ends.
- Sing one vowel, no words. Consonants and words break up the pitch.
- Use a quiet room and keep the microphone within about an arm's length. Background music or a TV can be picked up as pitch.
- Glide, do not jump. Slow slides give the detector time to lock on.
- Start each slide on a fresh breath. Notes that wobble as you run out of air are not counted. Breath control is a skill of its own; the breath hold test times one simple part of it while you sit.
- Do not strain. A range test is not a contest. Notes that only come out by pushing, squeezing or shouting are not part of your useful range, and forcing them can hurt your voice.
Your range also changes with the time of day, tiredness, a cold and practice. Morning voices often lack the top notes.
Limits of an online test
Phone and laptop microphones are not studio equipment. Very low notes from a quiet voice can be too weak to detect, and a loud room can confuse the detector. If the page shows "No clear pitch", sing louder on one steady vowel or move closer to the microphone.
This is a self-check for curiosity and practice, not a voice assessment. It also says nothing about how well you hear; for that, try the hearing test. If you have hoarseness that lasts more than a few weeks, pain when you sing or speak, or a voice that suddenly changed, see an ENT doctor or a voice specialist.
If the microphone does not work
If the browser blocks the microphone, the test shows a card with three steps: click the lock or microphone icon in the address bar, set Microphone to Allow, then reload the page. If no microphone is found or another app such as a video call is using it, close the other app or reconnect the headset and try again. The test only works on a secure (https) page.
More tests for your ears and voice are on the hearing tests page.
Source
- de Cheveigné A, Kawahara H (2002). "YIN, a fundamental frequency estimator for speech and music." Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 111(4):1917–1930.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find my vocal range?
Sing your lowest comfortable note, then your highest, and measure the distance between them. This test does it with your microphone: it shows the note you are singing live, keeps the lowest and highest notes you held steady, and gives the range in octaves.
Is my voice recorded?
No. The microphone signal is analysed in your browser frame by frame and discarded straight away. Nothing is saved or uploaded. Only your best range in octaves is stored in this browser.
What is a good vocal range?
There is no single good number. The conventional choir voice types used here each span about two octaves, for example baritone A2 to A4. What matters more for singing is how well and comfortably you use the notes you have, and range often grows with training.
How does the test decide my voice type?
It compares your lowest and highest notes with conventional ranges: bass E2–E4, baritone A2–A4, tenor C3–C5, alto F3–F5, mezzo-soprano A3–A5 and soprano C4–C6, and picks the closest, giving the low note double weight. Teachers also judge tone colour and where your voice feels easy, so the result is only a rough hint.
Does falsetto count?
Yes. Any note you hold steady for about 0.2 seconds counts, including falsetto or head voice. Stop before it hurts; strained notes are not part of your useful range.
Why does the test not pick up my lowest notes?
Very low notes sung softly can be too weak for a phone or laptop microphone, and background noise can hide them. Sing louder on one steady vowel, move closer to the microphone and use a quiet room.
What do C4 and A4 mean?
These are scientific pitch names. The letter is the note and the number is the octave. C4 is middle C on a piano and A4 is the 440 Hz tuning note. On the Turkish page the solfège names Do, Re, Mi and so on are shown as well.