Normal and distorted but high‐intelligibility speech forms are compared using a millisecond‐resolution analog ear display. Pattern details which convey intelligibility are identified separately from those which relate to matters of quality. Distorted speech forms include high‐pass filtered normal speech, whispered speech, whistled speech, helium speech, and infinitely clipped speech. The concept of a single principal formant is partly justified. In addition, there exist brief periods when activity penetrates into the ear further than the position of the formant, these events being periodic or random for voiced or whispered sounds, respectively.