What does audiogram mean?
An audiogram is the graph that records the results of a hearing test, plotting how faint a sound a person can detect across a range of pitches — typically from low frequencies such as 250 Hz up to high frequencies around 8,000 Hz — separately for each ear. Hearing thresholds are marked in decibels, and symbols on the chart distinguish responses measured through headphones from those measured via bone conduction, allowing clinicians to tell whether hearing loss stems from the outer or middle ear or from the inner ear and auditory nerve. Audiologists and ear, nose and throat doctors rely on the audiogram both to diagnose the type and degree of hearing loss and to track changes over time, which makes it central to everything from paediatric screening to workplace noise monitoring. Though firmly a technical term, it is one patients increasingly encounter first-hand, since modern clinics routinely walk them through their own chart.
nounA graph or chart produced by an audiometry test, showing a person's hearing threshold for sounds of different frequencies in each ear. It is the standard record used to diagnose and monitor hearing loss.
- A printed or digital chart plotting an individual's hearing threshold (in decibels) against frequency (in hertz) for each ear, obtained through audiometry.
"The audiologist studied her audiogram and explained that the dip at high frequencies indicated noise-induced hearing loss."
"Her audiogram showed a mild to moderate sensorineural loss in both ears."
"Industrial health programmes require workers exposed to loud machinery to undergo regular screening so that any shift on their baseline audiogram is detected early."
"The ENT consultant compared last year's audiogram with the new one and noted that hearing thresholds had remained stable."
Standard regular plural; used when referring to test results from multiple individuals or multiple sessions over time.
"The clinic filed all the audiograms from the annual workplace screenings."
Those cryptic O's and X's on your hearing test aren't doodles — on an audiogram, they mark exactly how quiet each ear can hear, one frequency at a time.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of audiogram
The word audiogram combines two classical roots: 'audio-', from the Latin verb audire meaning 'to hear', and '-gram', from the Greek gramma, meaning 'something written or drawn'. It was coined in the early twentieth century alongside related terms such as audiometer and audiology as clinical testing of hearing became systematised. Its cognates include audible, audience, auditorium, and audition, all descendants of the same Latin root.
How audiogram is actually used
A technical term used mainly by audiologists, ENT specialists, occupational-health practitioners, and patients discussing hearing tests. It is neutral in register but clinical in flavour; in casual conversation people usually say 'hearing test results' instead. The plural is straightforwardly 'audiograms'.
Easily confused with audiogram
Audiology is the branch of science dealing with hearing and balance, whereas an audiogram is the specific graphical record of a hearing test.
An audiometer is the instrument used to administer the hearing test, while the audiogram is the chart of results it produces.