Understanding your audiogram

What is an audiogram?

Audiologists use audiograms to record the results from a series of hearing tests. The ability to hear and understand speech is mapped in an area known as the ‘speech banana’ due to its shape.

How to read an audiogram

Volume is measured in decibels and is marked from top to bottom on the chart. Pitch, or frequency, is measured in hertz and marked from left to right.

The pictures and letters represent the sounds a hearing person can normally hear at different volume and pitch levels. That ranges from the very soft, like a whisper, to the very loud, like a plane.

The blue X line shows the left ear results from an air conduction test. The red O line shows the right ear results.

If a bone conduction test is also needed, the results will be marked using a blue > line for the left ear and a red < line for the right (not pictured below). The difference between the results of air conduction and bone conduction tests is known as the air-bone gap. An air-bone gap may mean a problem in the outer or middle ear. If there is no gap between air and bone conduction this may indicate a problem in the inner ear (cochlea).