Frequency Matching Game
A concentration / memory game played with tones instead of pictures. Every face-down card hides a pure tone — flip two, listen, and match the cards that play the same frequency. Matched pairs stay revealed. Choose the grid size and how close the distractor tones are: the hard setting packs tones a single semitone apart so matches sit close together — listen for the pitch, or read each card's note name and frequency. Track your moves and time, and try to beat your own best.
🎧 Use a moderate volume; headphones help a lot at the harder settings. This game trains tone matching and working memory — it is a fun exercise, not a calibrated hearing test, audiogram, or measurement. Pitches are exact 12-TET (A4 = 440 Hz); your moves and time are a personal practice score, saved only in your own browser — nothing is recorded or uploaded.
Press New Game, then flip two cards to hear and match their tones.
Easy spaces tones a major third apart; Medium a whole tone; Hard just one semitone. Click a face-up card again to replay its tone.
How It Works
The board is a deck of cards dealt face down, where each card hides a pure sine tone. Every tone appears on exactly two cards, so the board is built from matching pairs — just like a classic concentration (memory) game, except each card carries a tone instead of a picture. A flipped card shows its note name and frequency and plays its pitch, so you can match by ear, by the on-card labels, or both. Flip a card and it plays its tone; flip a second card and it plays its tone too. If the two frequencies are identical, the pair locks open and stays revealed. If they differ, both cards turn back over after a moment, and you carry on. The goal is to clear the whole board in as few moves and as little time as possible.
All tones are generated live in your browser with the Web Audio API and are tuned in 12-tone equal temperament with A4 = 440 Hz, using the standard formula f = 440 × 2^((m − 69) / 12) where m is the MIDI note number. That makes the pitches mathematically exact — a “match” really is the same frequency to the cent. The difficulty setting changes how far apart the different tones sit: Easy spaces them four semitones (a major third) so the pitches are obviously distinct, Medium uses two semitones (a whole tone), and Hard packs them just one semitone (a half step) apart so a near miss sounds almost like the real thing. Bigger grids add more pairs and lean harder on your memory.
Because the tones play through your speakers or headphones, what you actually hear depends on your hardware, your volume, and your ears — this is an uncalibrated listening exercise, not a measurement. Each completed two-card turn counts as one move; the timer is anchored to the audio clock, so it pauses cleanly if you switch tabs. Your best result per difficulty (fewest moves, then fastest time) is stored locally so you have something to beat, and every finished game is also added to your Audio Skills Progress Tracker dashboard.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I play the frequency matching game?
Press New Game to deal a face-down board, then flip two cards. Each card plays its hidden tone when you turn it over. If the two tones are the same frequency, the pair stays revealed; if they differ, both flip back so you can remember them and try again. Clear every pair in as few moves and as little time as you can.
What do the difficulty and grid-size settings change?
Grid size sets how many cards (and therefore pairs) are in play: 8, 12, or 16 cards. Difficulty sets how close the different tones are to each other — Easy spaces them a major third (four semitones) apart, Medium a whole tone (two semitones), and Hard just one semitone (a half step). On Hard the tones sit very close together, so headphones help if you want to play by ear — though each card also shows its note name and frequency.
Is this a hearing test or pitch-perception assessment?
No. It is a fun ear-and-memory game, not a calibrated hearing test, audiogram, or scientific measurement. What you hear depends on your headphones or speakers, your volume, and your environment, none of which are calibrated. Use it for practice and enjoyment; if you have a real concern about your hearing, see an audiologist.
Are the tones in tune, and what is the score based on?
The tones are exact in 12-tone equal temperament with A4 = 440 Hz, so a matching pair really is the same frequency. Your score is a personal practice metric based on how few moves and how little time you used to clear the board at a given difficulty — it is not a certification or a measurement of ability.
Is anything recorded, and where is my best score saved?
Nothing is recorded and the microphone is never used — the game only plays sound out. Your best result for each difficulty is stored locally in your own browser so you have something to beat, and finished games are added to the local Audio Skills Progress Tracker. Clearing your browser data or using private mode erases all of it, and you can wipe the saved best any time with the Clear button.