Start with your device volume low. Very low tones may be inaudible on phone or laptop speakers; very high tones can be uncomfortable on headphones.
What does 22 Hz sound like?
22 Hz is a sub-bass frequency. It is a very deep sub-bass tone that you feel in your chest as much as hear. Small speakers struggle to reproduce it; good headphones or a subwoofer will.
A 22 Hz sound wave completes 22 cycles every second, so one cycle lasts 45.5 ms. In air at 20 °C, where sound travels at about 343 m/s, each wave is 15.59 m (51.15 ft) long; in water it stretches to 67.32 m because sound moves about 4.3 times faster there.
Musically, 22 Hz is 14 cents above F0 (21.83 Hz) in standard A440 tuning. Doubling it to 44 Hz raises the pitch by one octave; halving it to 11 Hz lowers it by one.
Wavelength of 22 Hz in different materials
| Medium | Speed of sound | Wavelength |
|---|---|---|
| Air (20 °C) | 343 m/s | 15.59 m |
| Fresh water | 1,481 m/s | 67.32 m |
| Seawater | 1,500 m/s | 68.18 m |
| Helium | 1,007 m/s | 45.77 m |
| Steel | 5,960 m/s | 270.91 m |
| Glass | 5,640 m/s | 256.36 m |
Harmonics and octaves
Real instruments playing 22 Hz also produce harmonics at whole-number multiples of the fundamental. Their relative strength gives each instrument its timbre.
Which animals can hear 22 Hz?
Cannot hear it
Dogs, Cats, Horses, Cows, Sheep, Pigs, Goats, Rabbits, Rats, Mice, Gerbils, Guinea pigs, Hedgehogs, Raccoons, Opossums, Chinchillas, Bats, Beluga whales, Bottlenose dolphins, Chickens, Canaries, Budgerigars (parakeets), Cockatiels, Owls, Bullfrogs, Tree frogs, Catfish, Tuna, Greater wax moths
Frequently asked questions
What does 22 Hz sound like?
It is a very deep sub-bass tone that you feel in your chest as much as hear. Small speakers struggle to reproduce it; good headphones or a subwoofer will.
Can humans hear 22 Hz?
Yes. 22 Hz is inside the typical human hearing range of 20 Hz to 20 kHz.
What musical note is 22 Hz?
22 Hz is 14 cents above F0, which is 21.83 Hz in standard A440 tuning.
What is the wavelength of 22 Hz?
About 15.59 m in air at 20 °C and 67.32 m in water.
Can dogs hear 22 Hz?
No – dogs hear roughly 67 Hz to 45,000 Hz.