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What does 31 Hz sound like?
31 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 31 Hz sound wave completes 31 cycles every second, so one cycle lasts 32.3 ms. In air at 20 °C, where sound travels at about 343 m/s, each wave is 11.06 m (36.30 ft) long; in water it stretches to 47.77 m because sound moves about 4.3 times faster there.
Musically, 31 Hz is 7 cents above B0 (30.87 Hz) in standard A440 tuning. Doubling it to 62 Hz raises the pitch by one octave; halving it to 15.5 Hz lowers it by one.
Wavelength of 31 Hz in different materials
| Medium | Speed of sound | Wavelength |
|---|---|---|
| Air (20 °C) | 343 m/s | 11.06 m |
| Fresh water | 1,481 m/s | 47.77 m |
| Seawater | 1,500 m/s | 48.39 m |
| Helium | 1,007 m/s | 32.48 m |
| Steel | 5,960 m/s | 192.26 m |
| Glass | 5,640 m/s | 181.94 m |
Harmonics and octaves
Real instruments playing 31 Hz also produce harmonics at whole-number multiples of the fundamental. Their relative strength gives each instrument its timbre.
Which animals can hear 31 Hz?
Cannot hear it
Dogs, Cats, Horses, 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
Instruments and voices that can play 31 Hz
Frequently asked questions
What does 31 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 31 Hz?
Yes. 31 Hz is inside the typical human hearing range of 20 Hz to 20 kHz.
What musical note is 31 Hz?
31 Hz is 7 cents above B0, which is 30.87 Hz in standard A440 tuning.
What is the wavelength of 31 Hz?
About 11.06 m in air at 20 °C and 47.77 m in water.
Can dogs hear 31 Hz?
No – dogs hear roughly 67 Hz to 45,000 Hz.