The 7 Types of Tinnitus: What Your Sound Means

Not all tinnitus is the same. The type of sound you're hearing — ringing, hissing, buzzing, a low roar, pulsatile beating, clicking, or music — points toward different origins, different evaluation approaches, and in one case, urgent imaging that shouldn't be delayed.

Dr. Layne Garrett walks through the 7 most clinically distinct tinnitus sound types: the cochlear ringing that may co-occur with hearing loss even on a normal audiogram; hissing that warrants extended high-frequency testing; buzzing that prompts a medication history review; low-frequency roar that should trigger a Meniere's workup; pulsatile tinnitus that requires CT angiography before any other treatment; clicking that is objective tinnitus, measurable in clinic; and musical tinnitus, which is an auditory deprivation phenomenon — not psychiatric.

Teresa's case illustrates pulsatile tinnitus: 8 months unimaged, venous sinus stenosis found on CT angiography, resolved after neurovascular treatment. The lesson is not subtle.

Any tinnitus that started suddenly alongside sudden hearing loss — especially one-sided — is a same-day medical emergency. Do not wait.

Dr. Garrett holds the Au.D., CH-TM, and ABAC and practices at Timpanogos Hearing & Tinnitus, Utah's only full-time tinnitus specialty center.

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