Infants and Children (0-10 years): 20 Hz - 20,000 Hz. Young children have the most sensitive hearing, capable of detecting the full theoretical human range.
Teenagers (10-19 years): 20 Hz - 18,000-19,000 Hz. Slight high-frequency decline may begin, often unnoticed in daily life.
Young Adults (20-30 years): 20 Hz - 16,000-17,000 Hz. Upper-frequency sensitivity gradually decreases, though speech perception remains largely unaffected.
Middle-Aged Adults (30-50 years): 20 Hz - 12,000-15,000 Hz. High-frequency loss becomes more noticeable, especially for consonant sounds like "S," "F," "T," and "K".
Older Adults (50+ years): 20 Hz - 8,000-12,000 Hz. Presbycusis, or age-related hearing loss, significantly reduces the ability to hear high-pitched sounds, while low-frequency hearing remains relatively stable.