Pure-Tone Audiometry: What It Is and How It Detects Hearing Loss

When you hear a beep through headphones and raise your hand, you’re taking part in pure-tone audiometry, a clinical hearing test that measures the softest sounds a person can hear at different frequencies. Also known as air conduction testing, it’s the most common way doctors check for hearing loss—simple, quick, and accurate. This isn’t just a routine check. It’s the foundation for diagnosing everything from age-related hearing decline to noise damage, ear infections, or even rare conditions like acoustic neuroma.

Pure-tone audiometry works by playing tones at different pitches (frequencies) and volumes (intensities). The results are plotted on a graph called an audiogram, a visual chart showing hearing sensitivity across sound frequencies. If you can’t hear a 2000 Hz tone at 25 decibels, that’s a red flag. The pattern of missed tones tells the doctor whether your hearing loss is in the inner ear, the middle ear, or both. It also helps rule out non-medical causes, like attention issues or tinnitus masking real sounds. This test doesn’t just detect loss—it shows where and how bad it is, which directly affects treatment choices.

It’s not just for older adults. People exposed to loud music, machinery, or even prolonged headphone use need regular testing. A single test can catch early damage before it becomes permanent. And unlike smartphone apps or online tests, pure-tone audiometry is done in a soundproof booth with calibrated equipment, making it the gold standard. It’s also used to monitor how well hearing aids or other interventions are working over time. If your doctor recommends this test, it’s not because they suspect something serious—it’s because they want to catch problems early, before they affect your conversations, relationships, or safety.

What you’ll find in the posts below are real-world stories and science-backed guides that connect to this test. From how medications can affect hearing, to why seniors need regular audiometry checks, to how hearing loss ties into broader health issues like kidney function or diabetes—you’ll see how one simple test links to dozens of health decisions. These aren’t theory pieces. They’re practical, lived experiences and clinical insights that help you understand what the numbers on an audiogram really mean—and what to do next.