Babies usually start to hear sounds in the womb around the middle of pregnancy, roughly between 16 and 24 weeks, and they respond more clearly to voices and noises from about 24–26 weeks onward.

Quick Scoop

When can a baby hear in the womb?

  • Early structures for ears start forming very early in pregnancy (around weeks 4–9), as the face, brain, and ear areas develop.
  • Tiny ear parts and the hearing nerve begin connecting by about 12–16 weeks, which is when very faint internal sounds may first be detected.
  • Many medical sources say babies start to actually hear sounds from around 18–20 weeks of pregnancy.
  • By about 23–24 weeks, babies can hear muffled sounds from outside the womb, especially the mother’s voice and body sounds like heartbeat and digestion.
  • From roughly 25–28 weeks, babies often show responses (changes in movement or heart rate) to voices, music, and louder noises.

What sounds can they hear?

  • Inside sounds: heartbeat, blood flow, breathing, digestion are the first and strongest sounds they hear.
  • Outside sounds: your voice, your partner’s voice, music, and household noise reach the baby but are softened, like hearing through a wall or underwater.

Do they recognize your voice?

  • In the third trimester, research suggests babies can recognize and prefer their mother’s voice, showing calmer movements or heart-rate changes when she speaks.
  • Newborns often show preference for the familiar voice and speech patterns they heard most in late pregnancy.

Simple week-by-week style timeline (approximate)

  • Weeks 4–9: Ear structures begin forming, with small indentations where the ears will be.
  • Weeks 12–16: Inner ear “hair cells” and nerve connections develop; faint internal sounds may be heard.
  • Around 18–20 weeks: Baby starts to hear sound inside the womb.
  • Around 23–24 weeks: Outside sounds and voices become audible, though muffled.
  • Around 25–28 weeks: Baby often responds to sounds with movement or changes in heart rate.

One quick example

Imagine reading a short story out loud each night from about 26 weeks of pregnancy; by the time the baby is born, some studies suggest they may calm or show interest when they hear that same rhythm and tone again, because it became familiar in the womb.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.