Degrees of Hearing Loss: Mild, Moderate, Severe, Profound

Normal: thresholds up to 20 dB. Mild (21–40 dB): soft speech and whispers are missed; conversations in noise become effortful — the stage most people ignore. Moderate (41–55 dB) / Moderately-severe (56–70 dB): normal conversation is missed without amplification; TV volume creeps up; phone calls strain. Severe (71–90 dB): only loud speech close-by is heard. Profound (90+ dB): speech is largely inaudible; power devices or implants are discussed.

A 'mild' 35 dB loss removes roughly half the acoustic information in consonants — the parts of speech that carry meaning. Listening becomes a continuous guessing exercise, which is why untreated mild loss produces the signature complaint: exhaustion after social events. Intervention at the mild-to-moderate stage produces the easiest adaptation and the best long-term outcomes, because the brain's speech pathways are still fully trained.

Slim-RIC devices like the Signia Styletto line fit mild through moderately-severe loss — the large majority of adult cases. Severe loss needs higher-gain receivers or power BTE formats. Profound loss is implant-consultation territory. The free audiogram we conduct settles this in 30 minutes, and our audiologists will say plainly if a cheaper or different device serves your loss better.

Not sure where to start? Book a free hearing test — home visits available across India — or browse the full Signia range.

This article is educational and reviewed against published audiology guidance. It is not a medical diagnosis. Online screening indicates risk only — a clinical audiogram by a qualified audiologist is the diagnostic standard.