Glossary of terms used on this site

Like most professions, hearing care often uses terminology, jargon and abbreviations that may be unfamiliar to the general public. To make things easier, we're collating the words and phrases we use on this website into a helpful glossary.

On this website you'll also encounter new words and phrases that are not yet widely used on the Internet. That's because much of the terminology used within traditional hearing care is based on outdated ideas that no longer have a place in the 21st Century, either because they are misleading, discriminatory or have historically negative associations attached to them.

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Glossaries

Term Definition
potential hearing
The full (theoretical) potential of an indvidual's hearing ability, taking into consideration present knowledge of how hearing works, the capabilities of currently available technology, treatment or intervention, and any individual limitations for that person (e.g. biological or physiological).