Professional Technical IVT

dB HL

Pronunciation: dee-bee H-L

Also written as: HL — hearing level

Decibels hearing level, the standard unit for measuring hearing thresholds relative to normal hearing.

Full Definition

Decibels hearing level (dB HL) is the audiometric standard for expressing hearing sensitivity, with 0 dB HL representing the average normal hearing threshold for young adults at each frequency. This scale compensates for the ear's natural frequency response, making it the preferred unit for clinical audiometry. Hearing loss severity is classified using dB HL: normal (0-25 dB HL), mild (26-40 dB HL), moderate (41-70 dB HL), severe (71-90 dB HL), and profound (>90 dB HL).

Usage

Usage note: Always write as 'dB HL' with space between number and unit. Do not use periods in abbreviation.

In Context

"Pure tone thresholds ranged from 45 to 65 dB HL in the speech frequencies." — Audiometric results
"Hearing aid candidacy begins at approximately 40 dB HL hearing loss." — Fitting criteria

Also known as

hearing level audiometric zero

Don't confuse with

dB SPL dB A dB SL

dB eHL ← Back to glossary degrees of hearing loss