13 Ways to Find the Name of a Song without Knowing the Lyrics

Always have the answer to the question, “What song is this?”

Co-authored by Montel Moore and Bertha Isabel Crombet, PhD

Last Updated: October 7, 2025 Fact Checked

Got a tune stuck in your head but can’t remember what it’s called or who made it? Or even worse: you’re at a bar and a catchy song comes on that you love, but there are no lyrics for you to Google. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to find the names of songs, even when you can’t recall a single lyric or when the song is instrumental (has no lyrics at all). In this article, we’ll cover all of the best resources you can use to get the artist and title info you so desperately seek. Before you know it, that new track will be on your favorite Spotify playlist, playing on full blast!

Best Tools to Find a Song without Lyrics

Musician and vocal producer Montel Moore says his go-to tools for finding a song when you don't have the lyrics are Shazam and the Google app. If you're in this predicament, you can:

Use Shazam, Siri, or MusicID to identify songs that are currently playing.
Hum the tune into Google or SoundHound later if you remember the melody.
Upload a recording to AudioTag to match and find the audio track.
Describe the song on WatZatSong or Reddit to enlist the internet’s help.
Play the notes of the melody in Musipedia to track down the song.
Look up films or TV shows on IMDb to find songs used in soundtracks.

1

Play the tune for Shazam.

Download Article

Shazam is a universal option that works on any platform or phone. Moore says, “Shazam is good for if a song is currently playing and you want to know what song is playing. By simply allowing Shazam to listen to the song it will identify the song.”^{[1]
X
Expert Source

Montel Moore
Musician and Vocal Producer

Expert Interview} If the song is actively playing right now, pull your phone out and quickly download Shazam. Tap the button in the middle of the app and hold the phone up near the speaker if it’s nearby so Shazam can identify the song and artist for you.^{[2]
X
Research source}
- Shazam is totally free, and it’s available for both iOS and Android.

2

Ask Siri to help you.

Download Article

Ask Siri to listen to your song and identify it if you’ve got an iPhone. Apple has actually bought Shazam, so Siri has similar capabilities to the Shazam app. When a song is playing, simply open Siri and ask her to identify the song that’s playing. It’ll scan the audio and tell you the name of the track and artist.^{[3]
X
Research source}
- You can also add Shazam to the control center on your iPhone or Apple Watch by updating your phone and adding “music recognition” in the control center settings.
- Alexa, the AI assistant for the Amazon Echo, can identify songs that it’s currently playing. It can also find a song for you if you sing the lyrics. Unfortunately, it can’t name a song for you if you hum the tune or play it in the background.^{[4]
  X
  Research source}

3

Use the MusicID app.

Download Article

If you’ve got an iPhone, MusicID is a great Shazam alternative. MusicID works just like Shazam. You tap a button while a song is playing, and it pulls up the artist and the name of the song. However, MusicID also has a location-tracking function so that you can remember where you were when you heard the song, and it contains a lot more trivia and info about the song than Shazam does.^{[5]
X
Research source}

4

Open up the SoundHound app.

Download Article

Identify songs on the go with the SoundHound mobile app. Previously known as Midomi, SoundHound has taken over the previous software, offering new technology to help you find exactly what you’re looking for. Hear a song you don’t recognize on the radio, or while you’re waiting in line for a cup of coffee? Pull up the Soundhound app on your phone and tap the orange button. In a matter of seconds, Soundhound will ID the exact song you’re currently listening to.^{[6]
X
Research source}

5

Let MusixMatch find your song.

Download Article

Use MusixMatch’s extensive catalog to your benefit. Users can download MusixMatch from the app store and use it like they would Shazam. The software can identify a song in seconds and offers additional perks, such as creating playlists and converting any song into a karaoke version. The app boasts over 20 million contributors, boosting your chances of finding the title of that one elusive song you heard at the grocery store last week.

6

Work with Genius.

Download Article

Genius is home to a compendium of musical knowledge. Similar to Shazam, the app can help you identify a song that is already playing. Simply download the app, use the soundwave recognition feature, and voila! The app’s advanced algorithm strives to provide the most comprehensive results possible. The software will populate the lyrics, ensuring that you’ve found the song you’re looking for.^{[7]
X
Research source}

7

Google it.

Download Article

Hum the tune to a Google browser on your phone or PC. Moore says, “The Google app has the ability to identify and find songs by humming [or] mumbling a melody without knowing the exact lyrics. If you can hum the tune, Google can create a list of suggested songs that match your provided reference.”^{[8]
X
Expert Source

Montel Moore
Musician and Vocal Producer

Expert Interview} Open Google on your phone and tap the little microphone icon to activate it. Say, “What’s this song?” and then hum the tune that’s stuck in your head for 10-15 seconds. Google will scan through the internet and pull up a list of potential matches based on what you hummed.^{[9]
X
Research source}
- You can do this in a browser if you have a microphone or webcam, too.
- If you know any lyrics from the song, you can sing them instead.

8

Allow Google Assistant to assist you.

Download Article

You have the option to play the song or hum it for Google Assistant. Downloadable from almost any device, this app can tell you the name of the song currently playing or the one you’re humming. Google Assistant is a great tool if you’re out at a bar and the song has just ended, but you still remember the general melody. Pull up the app, exercise those vocal chords, and allow the algorithm to do the rest.^{[10]
X
Research source}

9

Upload your recorded sound byte to AudioTag.

Download Article

If you’ve got a link or audio file, upload it to AudioTag for info. If you happen to have a link to a website where the song is playing or a random snippet of an audio file, then go to AudioTag. Click the “upload file” button to submit a sample, or “enter link” to provide a website link. If the title and artist information exist, AudioTag will pull it up!^{[11]
X
Research source}
- AudioTag also has a database of obscure music videos, info about current radio rotations, and a time machine function to explore old or forgotten tunes.

10

Seek help on WatZatSong.

Download Article

WatZatSong is a great option if you want human help. If algorithms and robots aren’t able to automatically identify the song, that doesn’t mean the info doesn’t exist—the file just may be corrupted, or it may be too loud in the room for something like Shazam. Post a recording of the song (or of you humming the tune) and post it on WatZatSong. Someone may help you out!^{[12]
X
Research source}
- People on WatZatSong get a kick out of trying to figure out where obscure songs come from.

11

Use your music training on Musipedia.

Download Article

If you know any of the notes, Musipedia is like magic. This is a really neat tool—you open a digital piano and then you press the keys with your mouse. Based on the order of the notes, Musipedia will search through sheet music records and audio logs to identify songs that use those notes.^{[13]
X
Research source}
- This website is pretty old and buggy, so try to be patient.
- If you get too many results to go through and you know how the song starts, enter the notes at the start of the song and select the option to only scan beginnings.
- The more notes you enter, the more accurate the results will be. Don’t worry if a few of the notes are incorrect—Musipedia will generally figure it out.

12

Find a song from a show or film on IMDb.

Download Article

IMDb is the best option if the song appeared in a movie or TV show. If you heard a tune in a movie or on a show, pull up the IMDb page for the flick or show. Then, scroll to the “Soundtracks” section and expand it. You should see a list of all songs that appeared in the media.^{[14]
X
Research source}
- If you don’t remember the specific movie but you can remember an actor or actress who was in it, pull up their IMDb page and scroll through the filmography until you find it.

13

Reach out to the Reddit community.

Download Article

Certain subreddits, like r/NameThatSong, have over 200K active members, ready to help you out with all your song and lyric needs. Whether it’s an obscure German jingle from a 1994 commercial about green peas or an indie rock song from a one-hit-wonder band that seemingly fell off the face of the earth, no song is too big or small—or weird—for the song sleuths on these subreddits. Other similar subreddits include r/WhatsThisSong and r/TipOfMyTongue.

Community Q&A

Search

Add New Question

Question

Can you hum a song to Shazam?

Drew Hawkins1

Community Answer

While Shazam is a highly useful app for identifying a song you're listening to, it can't be used to identify a song based on your humming. But there are other apps, like Soundhound, that may be able to figure out what song you're looking for just from you humming the tune. If you happen to know a few lyrics, you can narrow down the possibilities as well.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 4 Helpful 7
Question

Is SoundHound free?

Drew Hawkins1

Community Answer

Yes, Soundhound is a free app! Look for it in your app store and download it to your smartphone or tablet so you can use it to identify songs. Even if you only know the basic tune, you can try humming it into the app and you may be able to find it that way!

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 2 Helpful 10

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Submit

Video

Tips

If you can remember even a few of the lyrics, Googling the lyrics is probably the fastest way to identify the song if it isn’t actively playing and you don’t have Shazam open. Just enter a few words, put them all in quotes, and then add the word “lyrics” at the end.

Thanks
Helpful 2 Not Helpful 0