How to Read Your Audiogram — What Every Number Means

Why This Chart Matters

A few years ago, a hearing test result felt like a code only an audiologist could crack. That has shifted. The 2022 FDA rule on over-the-counter hearing aids put adults in the driver's seat for mild and moderate loss. Now you can buy a hearing aid online for $99 to $2,500 — but you still need to know what your hearing loss looks like first. That is what the audiogram tells you.

By the end of this guide, you will know:

• What each part of the chart means
• How bad your loss is, in plain words
• Which type of OTC hearing aid fits your loss — and when to skip OTC and see a pro

What an Audiogram Is

An audiogram is a chart of your hearing test. The test is fast. You sit in a quiet booth and wear headphones. The hearing pro plays soft tones at different pitches. You raise your hand each time you hear one. The softest tone you can still hear at each pitch goes on the chart.

That is the whole test. No needles. No pain. About 20 minutes.

The Two Axes

Every audiogram has two sides.

The top — pitch.Pitches run from low to high. Low pitches sit on the left. Think of a man's deep voice or a fog horn. High pitches sit on the right. Think of a bird, a phone ring, or the letter "S." The numbers on top go from 250 Hz to 8,000 Hz. Hz stands for hertz. It is just a count of how fast a sound wave moves. A bigger number means a higher pitch.

The side — loudness. Loudness runs from soft at the top to loud at the bottom. The numbers on the side are dB, short for decibels. Decibels are how we count how loud a sound is. A whisper is about 30 dB. Talking is about 60 dB. A blender is about 90 dB. A jet engine, close up, is 140 dB.

The Marks on the Chart

You will see two main symbols. They tell you which ear was tested.

• X is your left ear
• O is your right ear

Many charts color-code them too. Blue is the left ear. Red is the right ear. If your two ears hear the same, the X and O sit close. If they do not, the marks pull apart. That gap matters. A big gap between the two ears is one of the signs to skip OTC and see a pro.

What the Numbers Mean

Each X and O sits at a number on the side. That number tells you how loud a sound has to be before you can just barely hear it. A bigger number means a worse loss.

Hearing pros sort loss into five buckets:

• 0 to 25 dB — Normal. You hear soft sounds fine.
• 26 to 40 dB — Mild loss. You miss whispers and soft talk.
• 41 to 55 dB — Moderate loss. You miss most talk in noise.
• 56 to 70 dB — Moderate to severe. You miss most talk, even in a quiet room.
• 71 to 90 dB — Severe. You miss almost all talk.
• 91 dB and up — Profound. You hear very few sounds at all.

A "flat" chart means your loss is about the same at every pitch. A "ski slope" chart means you hear low pitches fine but lose the highs. The ski slope shape is the most common pattern in adults. It is why people often say, "I can hear you, but I cannot make out the words."

The Speech Banana

Pros sometimes draw a banana-shaped zone on the chart. They call it the speech banana. It marks where most talk sounds live — about 250 to 6,000 Hz, and 25 to 60 dB loud.

If your marks fall inside the banana, you hear most talk fine. If your marks fall below the banana, you miss parts of words. The deeper they fall, the more you miss.

What Your Loss Means in Real Life

Mild loss (26 to 40 dB)

• You ask people to repeat in noisy rooms.
• You turn the TV up a few notches.
• You miss the doorbell or a soft phone ring.

Moderate loss (41 to 55 dB)

• You miss most talk if you cannot see the speaker's face.
• You rely on lip-reading, even if you do not know it.
• You may say "what?" five or six times a day.

Moderate to severe loss (56 to 70 dB)

• You cannot follow talk in any group setting.
• One-on-one talk works only at close range.

Severe and profound (70 dB and up)

You need a hearing aid or a cochlear implant for any normal life. A clinic visit is the right call. Skip the OTC route.

Which Hearing Aid Fits Your Chart

The 2022 FDA rule lets adults buy hearing aids without a doctor — but only for mild to moderate loss. If your loss is past moderate, OTC will not give you enough boost.

Mild loss (26 to 40 dB) — most OTC aids work well

These four flagship OTC aids cover mild loss with no trouble:

• Jabra Enhance Select 300 — best for first-time users who want care help. Comes with three video calls with a hearing pro.
• Lexie B2 powered by Bose — best sound quality and self-tuning app.
• Sony CRE-10 — best for tech-comfort buyers who want it small.
• MDHearing Neo — best price. Often runs under $300 a pair on sale.

Moderate loss (41 to 55 dB) — pick a model with more power

You still have OTC choices at this loss level. Check the spec sheet for "moderate" or "up to 55 dB loss" support. Both the Jabra and Lexie list this. The MDHearing Volt+ is built for it.

Moderate to severe and above — go to a clinic

Cochlear implants or high-power prescription aids are the right path here. For a side-by-side of all four flagship OTC aids, see our best OTC hearing aid guide.

How to Get a Free Audiogram

You do not have to pay $200 at a clinic to get this chart. There are four ways to get one for free or near-free:

• Big-box stores. Costco, Sam's Club, Walmart, and many others test for free. They will print your chart and hand it to you.
• Your health plan. Many plans cover one full hearing test per year. Call the help line on the back of your card.
• Doctor visits. Your family doctor can refer you to an audiologist.
• Online tests. A rough chart only — not as good as a real booth test, but can hint at a problem.

When to Skip OTC and See a Pro

• Loss in one ear that the other does not share
• Sudden loss (over hours or days)
• Pain, drainage, or fluid in the ear
• Loud ringing that will not stop (tinnitus)
• A spinning or off-balance feel
• A history of ear infections, head trauma, or ear surgery
• Loss in a child or teen

Reading Your Chart in 60 Seconds

1. Find the X marks (left ear) and O marks (right ear).
2. Look at the average dB across the speech range (500, 1,000, 2,000, 4,000 Hz).
3. Match that number to the loss buckets above.
4. Note the shape — flat or ski slope?
5. Note the gap — do the two ears match, or is one much worse?
6. If you fall in mild or moderate, OTC is on the table.
7. If you fall past moderate, see a pro.