Audible range

When we hear things, we use our ears to listen. Our ears can hear different sounds at different pitches, which means that some sounds are high-pitched and some sounds are low-pitched. The range of pitches that our ears can hear is called the audible range.

Think of the audible range like a ladder. Each step on the ladder is a different pitch that we can hear. At the bottom of the ladder, we have the lowest pitches that we can hear, like a big bass drum or a rumbling thunderstorm. As we climb up the ladder, the pitches get higher and higher, like a bird chirping or a high-pitched whistle. When we get to the very top of the ladder, we have the highest pitches that we can hear, like a tiny bell or a high-pitched beep.

Some animals, like dogs and bats, can hear even higher pitches than we can. And some animals, like elephants and whales, can hear lower pitches than we can. But for most people, our audible range goes from about 20 Hertz (Hz) – which is a very low pitch – to 20,000 Hz – which is a very high pitch.

So, the audible range is the range of pitches that our ears can hear, from low to high. It's like a ladder with different steps for different pitches, and it helps us understand how we perceive sound.