Those who experience hearing loss tend to have more trouble with certain words than others. This trouble is thought to be due to the audible difference in speech sounds. Fortunately, audiologists have constructed a visual representation known as the speech banana to help people better understand difficult sounds for those with hearing loss to distinguish.

What is the Speech Banana?

This visual tool showcases the various letters and sounds of the alphabet on a graph. You can easily depict which sounds have a high versus low frequency and the loudness in decibels that the sound makes. This speech banana gets its name from the banana shape that the sounds and letters make as they're spewed across the graph.

By assessing the speech banana, you can learn what sounds are most difficult for those with high-frequency hearing loss, mild hearing loss, and moderate hearing loss. When you can easily identify the sounds that you are struggling with, you can swap them out for alternative words that are easier to distinguish.

This and That

Those with high-frequency hearing loss tend to struggle with the word "this." The ending of an "s" sound is depicted as landing in the high-frequency section of the speech banana, which makes it difficult for those who have high-frequency hearing loss to hear. Additionally, the English language has a plethora of words that start with "th." It can make guessing the word "this" extremely difficult.

A great way to help those with high-frequency hearing loss better communicate with you is to use the word "that" instead of "this." The ending "at" offers a flatter, bass-like sound that allows those with hearing loss to easily pick it out. This simple switch in wording can help keep everyone on the same page when it comes to proper communication.

House and Home

"House" is another word that is hard to pick up due to the number of words that have a very similar sound. Many listeners struggle to hear the "s" at the end of the word. An easy replacement for "house" is to say "home" instead. While there will still be slight difficulty to hear the "h" at the beginning of the word, the ending "m" sound is much easier to pick up on because of its lower frequency.

Nice and Good

The letter "c" is well-known to be a very light and airy sound. It can be easily missed by those with hearing impairment. A simple switch from the word "nice" to "good" can be a great way to help ensure better communication. The "g" and "d" have distinctively deep sounds that are much easier to hear than the light and airy "c" sound.

Contact Us Today

If you're struggling with hearing impairment or would like more information about how to better communicate, be sure to contact us today. Our hearing care professionals would be happy to evaluate your hearing health and make recommendations to enhance it.