How to Read Your Audiogram: What the Lines and Numbers Mean | Joyful Hearing & Speech Clinic

After a hearing test, you are handed a chart full of small circles, crosses and lines. It looks like a graph from a maths exam. Yet this page, called an audiogram, is one of the clearest pictures of how you hear, and it is easier to read than it seems.

The Chart: Pitch Across, Loudness Down

An audiogram is a simple grid. Across the top is frequency, measured in hertz (Hz), which is pitch. Low pitches, like a drum, sit on the left. High pitches, like a bird or the "s" in speech, sit on the right. Down the side is loudness, measured in decibels (dB). Quiet sounds are at the top, and louder sounds are lower down.

What the Marks Tell You

Each mark shows the softest sound you could just hear at that pitch. A mark near the top means you heard very quiet sounds. A mark lower down means the sound needed to be louder. Most charts use a red circle for the right ear and a blue cross for the left, so each ear is shown separately. The two ears can differ, and that is quite common.

The pattern matters as much as the numbers. Some people hear low pitches well but miss high ones. That can make speech seem present but unclear, especially in a crowd or on the phone. Knowing your pattern also helps you and your family understand why some voices and sounds are harder to follow than others.

Degrees and Types of Hearing Loss

Audiologists often describe results as mild, moderate, severe or profound, depending on how far the marks sit below the top. We also compare two kinds of test. Air conduction checks the whole hearing pathway, and bone conduction checks the inner ear more directly. Comparing them can help show whether the cause lies in the outer or middle ear, the inner ear, or both. Your audiogram is one part of the picture, alongside your history and other tests.

Many people feel relieved once the chart makes sense, because the numbers stop being a mystery. An audiogram does not label you. It guides next steps, such as monitoring, treatment, or hearing aids. Ask your audiologist to walk through your chart, and keep a copy to compare over the years.

Get Your Audiogram Explained in Indira Nagar, Lucknow

At Joyful Hearing & Speech Clinic, Indira Nagar, Lucknow, we test your hearing and explain every line in plain words, so you know where you stand.

Call +91 82405 16775 or message us on WhatsApp to book a hearing assessment. We are open Mon–Sat, 10 AM–7 PM.