Struggling to follow conversations, even when technically you can “hear”? A speech hearing test measures what a basic screening can’t — how clearly you understand real, spoken words.
A speech audiometry test measures how well the brain and ears work together to understand, recognize, and repeat spoken words. A speech hearing test uses spoken words instead of pure electronic tones to measure a person’s ability to hear and understand speech at different volume levels.
Some patients can technically detect sounds but still struggle to make out words clearly, especially with background noise. A speech audiogram captures this gap and helps audiologists recommend the right next step, whether that’s a hearing aid, auditory training, or further medical evaluation.
The speech audiometry test procedure is simple, painless, reliable, and usually takes 10 to 30 minutes. Understanding the speech audiometry procedure can help ease any anxiety before your appointment.
Your audiologist will discuss your hearing concerns, medical history, previous hearing problems, and communication difficulties.
You'll sit in a quiet, sound-treated booth and wear headphones connected to an audiometer.
You will wear specialized headphones inside a sound booth room designed to eliminate background noise.
The audiologist will play recorded or live spoken words at different volume levels. You will be asked to: repeat each word, identify spoken words, and respond to speech at different loudness levels.
The audiologist records how accurately you recognize and repeat the words. This helps determine your speech understanding ability.
Once the assessment is complete, your audiologist explains the findings and discusses treatment recommendations if necessary.
One of the most common questions patients ask is how to interpret speech audiometry results. Speech audiometry results are recorded on a chart alongside the SRT and Word Recognition Score. Your results generally include:
The Speech Reception Threshold (SRT) measures the softest level at which speech can be recognized. Reported in dB HL.
| WRS Score | Interpretation | Hearing Ability |
|---|---|---|
| 90–100% | Excellent | Speech is understood clearly. |
| 80–89% | Good | Minor difficulty in challenging listening environments. |
| 70–79% | Fair | Moderate difficulty understanding conversations. |
| 50–69% | Poor | Significant communication problems. |
| Below 50% | Very Poor | Speech understanding is severely affected. |
This measures the percentage of words you correctly identify at a comfortable listening level.
| WRS Score | Interpretation | Hearing Ability |
|---|---|---|
| 90–100% | Excellent | Speech is understood clearly. |
| 80–89% | Good | Minor difficulty in challenging listening environments. |
| 70–79% | Fair | Moderate difficulty understanding conversations. |
| 50–69% | Poor | Significant communication problems. |
| Below 50% | Very Poor | Speech understanding is severely affected people. |
The Speech recognition ability Measures how clearly speech is understood at a comfortable loudness. Reported as a percentage (%).
| Score | Interpretation |
|---|---|
| 90–100% | Excellent speech understanding |
| 80–89% | Good speech recognition |
| 70–79% | Fair speech recognition |
| 60–69% | Poor speech recognition |
| Below 60% | Very poor speech recognition |
A speech audiogram is a graphical representation of your speech recognition performance alongside your hearing thresholds.
| Speech Volume | Understanding |
|---|---|
| Very Soft | Few words recognized |
| Soft | Some words understood |
| Comfortable | Maximum speech recognition |
| Loud | Recognition remains stable |
| Extremely Loud | May become uncomfortable without improving clarity |
One of the most common questions we receive is about the speech audiometry test price. The speech audiometry test price in Lahore typically ranges from PKR 500 to 900. To receive the latest speech audiometry pricing and available appointment slots, please contact our Hearing Rehab Center directly at 0321-4858181.
