Speech Audiometry

Measuring how well speech is heard and understood

Overview

Speech audiometry complements the pure tone audiogram by testing hearing with real words rather than tones. The speech reception threshold is the softest level at which a person can repeat familiar two syllable words, and it normally agrees closely with pure tone results. Word recognition testing presents words at a comfortable level and scores the percentage understood, showing how clearly the ear processes speech. Testing speech in background noise gives a further measure of everyday listening. Poor word recognition relative to the audiogram can point toward nerve or central problems and helps set expectations for hearing aids.