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High-frequency hearing loss

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Little girl whispering to a woman with high-frequency hearing loss.

What is high-frequency hearing loss?

People who suffer from high-frequency hearing loss have difficulty hearing high-pitched sounds. A notable consequence of this is that consonants become difficult to hear, meaning that others may sound like they are mumbling.

High-frequency hearing loss is often caused by age-related hearing loss and noise-induced hearing loss.

Diagram highlighting the region of the ear associated with high-frequency hearing loss
man undergoing hearing test with audiologist conducting assessment

Book a free test for high-frequency hearing loss

Schedule a free hearing test to find out if you have high-frequency or another type of hearing loss. We can suggest treatment options and help you understand your condition better.
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What causes high-frequency hearing loss?

High-frequency hearing loss can be caused by a wide range of health and lifestyle factors. Causes of high-frequency hearing loss include:

  • Aging
  • Genetics
  • Exposure to certain drugs
  • Syndromes
  • Diseases
  • Noise exposure
Low-frequency hearing loss

Preventing high-frequency hearing loss

While there are many health and lifestyle factors that can contribute to your risk for developing high-frequency hearing loss, there are steps that you can take to prevent it.

Using ear plugs (or other hearing protection) in excessively loud environments is a great way to protect your ears from damaging sound levels.

Untreated hearing loss

Signs and symptoms of high-frequency hearing loss

Struggling to follow conversations and understand what others say are two common signs of high-frequency hearing loss. Other signs include:

group of adults conversing over coffee in a relaxed setting
Difficulty following conversations
You have difficulty following group conversations (especially when background noise is present).
A man holding a phone to his ear while seated indoors
Phone conversations are unclear
You have trouble following phone conversations in quiet and noisy places.
Senior woman with short white hair touching her ear, possibly experiencing hearing difficulty.
People seem to be mumbling
You often ask people to repeat themselves. Sounds seem unclear, or people sound like they are mumbling.
Woman with gray hair focusing on surrounding sounds.
Difficulty locating sounds
You have difficulty locating where sounds are coming from.
A woman experiencing discomfort while holding her temples
Signs of tinnitus
You experience ringing or buzzing sounds in your ears.
Elderly couple sitting on a couch, relaxing and watching television together.
Turning up the TV too loud
Your friends or family say you turn the television up too loud.
Audiologist consulting with a patient in a clinic setting

Treatment for high-frequency hearing loss

Our hearing care experts often recommend hearing aids as an effective treatment method for high-frequency hearing loss. More specifically, the hearing aids can be programmed to focus on amplifying higher frequency sounds, thereby allowing the hearing aid user to hear these sounds again.

Our hearing care experts will be able to provide the best guidance on which type of hearing aid is best for your individual needs.

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FAQ

Enda Dooley, professional audiologist in a clinic setting
Written by: Enda Dooley, Hearing Aid Audiologist, ISHAA Member

Enda Dooley is a qualified audiologist who holds a Higher Education Diploma in Hearing Aid Audiology from Queen Margaret University UK. 

He has worked as an audiologist with Hidden Hearing for the last 16 years and his work provides him with the privilege of meeting, diagnosing and treating patients of all ages with diverse audiological conditions.

Enda is passionate about hearing health and personally invested in preventing the negative impact of hearing loss. His goal is to improve the quality of life for sufferers, their families, and friends. 

Last reviewed 2025-07-01

Sources

1. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.3109/14992027.2013.873956
2. https://hearinghealthfoundation.org/blogs/very-high-frequency-hearing-loss-and-tinnitus-is-there-a-link
3. https://journals.lww.com/ear-hearing/fulltext/2022/11000/age_related_high_frequency_hearing_loss_is_not.24.aspx
4. https://pathsocjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/path.2102

Relevant links

  1. Home
  2. Hearing loss
  3. Types
  4. High frequency