Objective evaluation of normal and hoarse voices is performed considering the characteristic that hoarse voices show a prominent fundamental frequency intensity compared with harmonics in the voice spectrum. The relative harmonic intensityHr, obtained from a stable portion of the sustained vowel /a/, is defined as the intensity of the second and higher harmonics expressed as a percentage of the total voice intensity. Ninety‐five percent of the normal voices examined haveHrlarger than the critical value of 67.2%, whereas 90% of the hoarse voices haveHrsmaller than the critical value. The harmonic‐intensity analysis thus provides good discrimination between normal and hoarse voices.