For a number of years hearing impairment has been expressed by the audiogram, which is a measure of the hearing loss for sounds which are just audible to the deafened ear, with the implication that impairment for threshold sounds indicates the impairment for sounds above threshold in the range of interest to the deafened. It is shown that the audiogram is not an accurate indication of hearing impairment for above threshold sounds in cases involving nerve deafness, when the loss in loudness sensation is taken as the criterion; but when the capacity to interpret speech sounds, as indicated by articulation tests, is the criterion, the audiogram does give an approximately correct indication of the hearing impairment. The relation of the audiogram to experiences in interpreting the speech of everyday life and the relation of hearing loss to absolute ear sensitivity are given.