Hearing loss test
Hearing Loss: Signs, Levels & What Your Results Mean
Hearing usually fades slowly, so most people notice it years after it starts. Here are the early signs, the levels from mild to severe, the common patterns a hearing loss test reveals, and when to get a professional check.
Take the free hearing testEarly signs
Signs you may have hearing loss
The World Health Organization estimates that more than 1.5 billion people live with some degree of hearing loss. Because it usually develops gradually, other people often notice before you do. Several of these are worth a test:
- You often ask people to repeat themselves, especially in noisy places.
- Others say the TV or radio is too loud when it sounds fine to you.
- Speech sounds mumbled, or you mix up words like "fifteen" and "fifty".
- Women's and children's voices are harder to understand than men's.
- You hear ringing, buzzing, or hissing (tinnitus) in one or both ears.
- Group conversations and phone calls leave you tired from concentrating.
- You miss the doorbell, the microwave beep, or birdsong you used to notice.
Levels
Hearing loss levels, from mild to severe
Grades use the pure-tone average of 500 Hz, 1, 2, and 4 kHz in the better ear, on the WHO scale. Your online hearing test result uses the same bands, shown as shaded zones on your audiogram.
20 dB or better
Normal hearing
Soft speech, whispers, and quiet sounds are heard without effort in a quiet room. Noisy restaurants can still be tiring for anyone.
21–34 dB
Mild hearing loss
Quiet conversation is usually fine, but soft or distant speech and talk in noise become hard. Many people at this level do not notice the change themselves.
35–49 dB
Moderate hearing loss
Normal conversation is often missed, especially in groups. TV volume creeps up. This is the level where hearing aids most clearly help.
50–64 dB
Moderately severe
Most conversational speech is hard to follow without amplification, even in quiet. Professional assessment is strongly recommended.
65 dB or more
Severe hearing loss
Most speech is inaudible at normal levels. A hearing care professional should assess options such as powerful hearing aids or cochlear implants.
Patterns & types
What the shape of your audiogram says
High-frequency hearing loss
The most common pattern: thresholds at 4 and 8 kHz are poorer than at 1 kHz. It blurs consonants such as s, f, and th, so speech sounds loud enough but unclear. Ageing (presbycusis) and noise are the usual causes.
Noise-induced hearing loss
Repeated loud sound — concerts, power tools, earbuds at high volume, firearms — tends to cause a "notch" around 4 kHz that partly recovers at 8 kHz. This test flags that shape when it appears.
One-sided (asymmetric) loss
A clear difference between ears is less common and worth checking with a professional, because it can have medical causes. Sudden hearing loss in one ear is an urgent medical issue — seek care the same day.
Conductive vs. sensorineural
Sound blocked on its way in (earwax, fluid, eardrum problems) is conductive and often treatable. Damage to the inner ear or nerve is sensorineural. Telling them apart needs bone-conduction testing in a clinic — no online test can do it.
Next steps
When to see a hearing professional
Book a full hearing assessment with an audiologist or hearing care professional if your result is mild or worse, if your ears differ noticeably, or if you recognize several of the signs above even with a normal online result. A clinical test in a sound-treated booth adds bone-conduction and speech testing that no browser can do.
Get same-day medical care for sudden hearing loss, hearing loss with ear pain, discharge, or dizziness, or new ringing in one ear. Sudden sensorineural hearing loss responds best to treatment started quickly.
Not sure where you stand? Take the free online hearing test first, then bring your audiogram to the appointment. Our FAQ covers what the score and grades mean.
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