Degrees Of Hearing Loss
| Description | What Can Be Heard |
|---|---|
| Normal Hearing (0 – 25 dB) | Hears all speech sounds. Able to understand speech, even at soft conversational levels. |
| Mild Hearing Loss (26 – 45 dB) | Vowel sounds will be heard. Unvoiced consonants such as f, s, t, and p, may be undetectable, especially if a high-frequency loss is present. May have difficulty hearing faint or distant speech. May experience difficulty understanding speech in group situations or when background noise is present. |
| Moderate Hearing Loss (46 – 70 dB) | Communication will be significantly affected. Does not understand most speech sounds at a normal conversational level. Will be unaware of many environmental sounds. |
| Severe Hearing Loss (71 – 90 dB) | Hears no speech sounds of normal conversation. May hear a loud voice at very close range. |
| Profound Hearing Loss (91+ dB) | Only very loud environmental sounds will be heard. May be aware of some vibrations. |