What is gap detection and why does it matter?

Gap detection measures the shortest silence you can hear in an ongoing sound. It reflects how finely your auditory system tracks timing, which underlies understanding rapid speech — so it's a useful probe of auditory processing beyond plain hearing sensitivity.

What's a normal gap-detection threshold?

In careful lab conditions, young adults often detect gaps of just a few milliseconds. In this relative screen, roughly 5 ms or under is normal, 5–10 ms is borderline, and needing longer gaps is worth following up.

Can this test diagnose a processing disorder?

No. It's a screening tool that can suggest reduced temporal resolution, but diagnosing an auditory processing disorder requires a full clinical test battery.

Audition

Test de détection des silences

Repérez le minuscule silence dans le bruit — un test rapide de la capacité de timing auditif qui sous-tend une parole claire.

~4 minDurée

Gap-detection threshold (temporal resolution, 3-AFC)Méthode

GratuitCoût

Avant de commencer

Utilisez un casque dans une pièce calme. Réglez le volume à un niveau modéré et confortable avant de commencer.

Comment ça marche

1Hear three noises — Three short bursts of noise play in a row.
2Spot the gap — One burst has a tiny silent break in the middle — pick which.
3Find your limit — The gap shrinks until you can no longer detect it.

1Headphones, quiet room — Background noise fills in the very gaps you're trying to detect.
2Comfortable volume — A clear, moderate level makes brief gaps easiest to notice.
3Listen to all three bursts — Compare them before choosing — the gapped one sounds momentarily ‘broken’.
4Guess near your limit — Short gaps become imperceptible; just pick when you're unsure.

spot the gap

4′

Gap-detection threshold (temporal resolution, 3-AFC)

Ce que ça mesure

Your auditory temporal resolution — the shortest silent gap in sound you can detect, in milliseconds. Tracking rapid changes in sound over time is essential for understanding speech, especially fast or accented talkers, so a raised gap-detection threshold can point to auditory-processing difficulty.

Comment ça marche

This is a three-alternative forced-choice (3-AFC) task. Three noise bursts play; one contains a brief silent gap and you choose which. An adaptive staircase shortens the gap after correct answers and lengthens it after errors, settling on the briefest gap you can reliably hear. Gap edges are smoothly ramped so you detect the silence itself, not a click.

Conseils pour un résultat fiable

1Listen for a stutter — The gap sounds like a tiny hiccup in an otherwise steady hiss.
2Replay if needed — Hearing the three bursts again is fine and improves accuracy.
3Stay relaxed — Temporal processing suffers when you're tense or distracted.
4Combine with dichotic digits — Both probe auditory processing from different angles.

Questions fréquentes

Poursuivez votre bilan

DisponibleAudition

Test de discrimination des hauteurs

Mesurez la plus petite différence de hauteur que vous percevez et découvrez si vous êtes vraiment « sourd aux notes ».

Passer un test

DisponibleAudition

Test des chiffres dichotiques

Vérifiez comment votre cerveau gère un chiffre différent dans chaque oreille en même temps — un dépistage du trouble du traitement auditif (TTA).

Passer un test