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 12 Hz sound like?
12 Hz is a infrasound frequency. It is infrasound – below the roughly 20 Hz lower limit of human pitch perception. At high levels it is felt as pressure, fluttering or vibration rather than heard as a tone, and phone or laptop speakers cannot reproduce it at all.
A 12 Hz sound wave completes 12 cycles every second, so one cycle lasts 83.3 ms. In air at 20 °C, where sound travels at about 343 m/s, each wave is 28.58 m (93.78 ft) long; in water it stretches to 123.42 m because sound moves about 4.3 times faster there.
Natural infrasound comes from earthquakes, volcanoes, ocean waves, wind and thunder; whales and elephants use it to communicate across long distances.
Wavelength of 12 Hz in different materials
| Medium | Speed of sound | Wavelength |
|---|---|---|
| Air (20 °C) | 343 m/s | 28.58 m |
| Fresh water | 1,481 m/s | 123.42 m |
| Seawater | 1,500 m/s | 125.00 m |
| Helium | 1,007 m/s | 83.92 m |
| Steel | 5,960 m/s | 496.67 m |
| Glass | 5,640 m/s | 470.00 m |
Harmonics and octaves
Real instruments playing 12 Hz also produce harmonics at whole-number multiples of the fundamental. Their relative strength gives each instrument its timbre.
Which animals can hear 12 Hz?
Can hear it
None of the animals in our list.
Cannot hear it
Humans, Dogs, Cats, Horses, Cows, Sheep, Pigs, Goats, Rabbits, Rats, Mice, Gerbils, Guinea pigs, Hedgehogs, Raccoons, Ferrets, Opossums, Chinchillas, Bats, Elephants, Beluga whales, Bottlenose dolphins, Chickens, Canaries, Budgerigars (parakeets), Cockatiels, Owls, Bullfrogs, Tree frogs, Goldfish, Catfish, Tuna, Greater wax moths
Frequently asked questions
What does 12 Hz sound like?
It is infrasound – below the roughly 20 Hz lower limit of human pitch perception. At high levels it is felt as pressure, fluttering or vibration rather than heard as a tone, and phone or laptop speakers cannot reproduce it at all.
Can humans hear 12 Hz?
No. 12 Hz is below the ~20 Hz limit of human pitch perception; very loud infrasound can be felt as vibration.
What musical note is 12 Hz?
12 Hz is 36 cents below G-1, which is 12.25 Hz in standard A440 tuning.
What is the wavelength of 12 Hz?
About 28.58 m in air at 20 °C and 123.42 m in water.
Can dogs hear 12 Hz?
No – dogs hear roughly 67 Hz to 45,000 Hz.