An audiogram shows your hearing ability by showing your hearing threshold at different frequencies. Hearing threshold is an indication of how soft a sound may get before it is inaudible. A hearing threshold of between 0 and 20 dB is considered normal.

The vertical axis of the audiogram represents sound volume or intensity which is measured in decibels (dB). The more one moves down the axis, the louder the sound becomes. This corresponds to turning up the volume on a radio, for example. Zero decibels at the top of the axis represent the softest sound a person is normally able to hear.

The horizontal axis of the audiogram represents sound frequency or pitch measured in Hertz (Hz). Sound frequency increases gradually the further one moves to the right along the axis. This movement can be compared to playing on the left side of a piano and gradually moving to the right side where the tone becomes more and more high-pitched. Frequencies between 500 Hz and 4000 Hz are most commonly used during ordinary conversation.