Individuals with superior hearing sensitivity above 8 kHz demonstrate markedly enhanced ability to predict spoken words from minimal acoustic cues, particularly recognizing /s/-initial words from coarticulatory information present in just the first 15 milliseconds of speech. This advantage did not extend to /f/-initial words, which contain less high-frequency energy, suggesting frequency-specific contributions to predictive processing. The cognitive implications extend well beyond traditional audiological assessments, which typically only measure hearing up to 8 kHz. Extended high-frequency hearing appears crucial for the brain's predictive mechanisms that anticipate upcoming speech sounds based on subtle acoustic precursors. This finding bridges auditory neuroscience with practical communication challenges, particularly relevant as age-related hearing loss often first affects these higher frequencies. The research suggests that preserving extended high-frequency hearing may be more critical for real-world speech comprehension than previously recognized, especially in noisy environments where predictive processing becomes essential. For aging adults, this highlights the importance of early intervention for high-frequency hearing loss and may inform hearing aid technology development to better preserve these predictive capabilities.