17000 Hz — 17 kHz “Mosquito” Tone

17 kHz became well known as the “mosquito” tone used in devices meant to be audible to teenagers but not older adults, and later as a sneaky phone ringtone. Whether you can hear it depends heavily on your age and on your speakers or headphones — many drivers roll off before this point.

If you hear nothing, it may well be your equipment rather than your ears. Try it on good headphones at a low volume. This is just for curiosity, not a hearing test.

The “mosquito” nickname comes from a device that played a tone around this pitch to discourage groups of teenagers from lingering, on the idea that many people past their mid-twenties no longer hear it — the same trick was flipped into ringtones adults in a room wouldn’t notice. To gauge your own range, drop to 15 kHz first: if you hear that clearly but 17 kHz is silent, you’ve found roughly where your upper limit falls.