Signal-to-Noise Ratio
Also written as: SNR — Signal-to-Noise Ratio
The ratio of the level of the desired auditory signal (typically speech) to the level of background noise, expressed in decibels.
Full Definition
Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is a critical variable in aural rehabilitation research and clinical practice, as hearing loss typically degrades a person's ability to understand speech in noisy environments. A positive SNR (e.g., +10 dB) means the speech signal is louder than the noise; a negative SNR means noise predominates. Rehabilitation goals often include improving functional performance at lower (more challenging) SNRs. Editors must always hyphenate the full form ('signal-to-noise ratio') and preserve the dB unit when SNR values are cited.
Usage
Usage note: Always hyphenate the full form. Standardize to 'SNR' (not 'S/N' or 'S:N') unless the publication's house style specifies otherwise. Include the dB unit with all numerical SNR values.
In Context
- "Participants' speech recognition improved by 15% when the signal-to-noise ratio was raised from 0 dB to +5 dB SNR." — Research article results
- "The text alternated between 'SNR' and 'S/N ratio'; standardize to 'SNR' throughout per house style." — Copy-editing note