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During your hearing test appointment, a hearing care professional will perform a series of tests and record your results on a graph known as an audiogram. They'll guide you through interpreting the audiogram, helping you better understand your hearing profile.
An audiogram is a chart that shows how well you hear different sounds. It’s made using the results from your hearing tests. The audiogram helps demonstrate which sounds you hear clearly and where you might have trouble—especially when communicating with family or friends. It also shows if you have hearing loss, how much, and what kind.
An audiogram is a chart that shows how well you hear different sounds. It’s made during your hearing test appointment, and checks two things:
1. Pitch (Frequencies in Hertz or Hz)
Across the top of the chart, you’ll see low to high-pitched sounds.
Everyday talking usually falls around 60–70 decibels.
2. Loudness (Hearing Level in Decibels or dB)
Down the side, the chart shows how loud a sound needs to be for
you to hear it—from very soft to very loud.
The “Speech Banana”
In the middle of the chart is a shape called the “Speech Banana.”
That’s where most speech sounds fall. It helps show how well you
can hear people talking.
During your hearing test appointment, a hearing care professional will perform a series of tests and record your results on an audiogram.
Hearing care professionals at HearingLife identify and treat hearing loss, as well as provide guidance on how to care for your hearing health and prevent further challenges. If hearing aids are recommended to you, your hearing care professional will discuss which devices would best suit your hearing needs, lifestyle, preferences, and budget and personalize them to you.
After your hearing test, your hearing care professional will review your results with you. They’ll explain if your hearing is in the normal range or if you have hearing loss.
Your hearing care professional will explain what sounds may be difficult for you to hear, the type and degree of hearing loss (if present), and how it may be affecting your daily life. They’ll also discuss if and what hearing solutions could help.
Looking at your audiogram is an important step toward better hearing and communication. With professional help, you’ll understand your hearing health and what to do next.
According to the World Health Organization, a normal hearing range means being able to hear sounds between 0 and 20 decibels (dB).1 If you have difficulty hearing sounds within that range, you may have some hearing loss.
Remember: Everyone's hearing is different. Even people the same age or background can have different results. Your hearing is as unique as your fingerprint!
After your comprehensive hearing assessment—which includes several types of hearing tests—your hearing care professional will review your audiogram results with you and explain what they mean in clear, easy-to-understand terms. They'll explain if there is any hearing loss present and its severity.
If hearing loss is detected, you'll discuss treatment options, which may include hearing aids. At HearingLife, we provide personalized hearing solutions to help you get the right support for your one-of-a-kind communication needs and lifestyle. Tailoring hearing aids also helps you reap the most benefits from today's advanced hearing technology.
If your audiogram shows no signs of hearing loss, your hearing care professional will let you know if future hearing checks will be needed.
1. World Health Organization. (2023, March 1). Deafness and hearing loss.
Katie graduated with a Bachelor of Health Sciences (Honours) Degree, with Distinction, from the University of Western Ontario in 2006, followed by a Master's degree in Audiology from the same institution in 2008. Upon completing her studies, she began providing hearing healthcare as an Audiologist at various HearingLife clinics in the Waterloo Region, eventually settling at the Cambridge HearingLife clinic, where she has helped her clients experience better hearing for over 13 years.
Alongside her role as Senior Manager, Audiology at HearingLife, she has been a Part-Time Professor at Conestoga College in the Hearing Instrument Specialist program since 2019, teaching both Clinical Principles 1 and 2 courses.
