How is your voice doing?

Take our quiz* and find out!

WHICH OF THESE HAS BEEN A SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM IN THE PAST MONTH, other than times you've had a cold?

1. I have trouble talking loudly or being heard in noisy situations.
2. I feel a lump in my throat, like extra phlegm or something sticking there.
3. I have trouble doing my job or practicing my profession because of my voice..
4. Talking or singing takes effort/makes me tired.
5. I have to repeat myself to be understood in normal conversation
6. My throat feels sore or achy even though I'm not sick.
7. My voice sounds higher, lower, or less flexible in pitch these days; I'm losing notes at the top.
8. I feel anxious or frustrated because of changes in my voice.
9. I have trouble being heard/understood on the telephone.
10. I have to strain, change how I use my voice, or compromise my vocal technique in order to sound the way I should.

If you answer YES to 5 or more questions, see a voice doctor as soon as you can.
If you answer YES to 2-4 questions, use the information on this site to take better care of your voice. If things don't improve in 2-3 weeks, see a doctor.

If you can answer NO to nearly every question, congratulations! You are in good vocal health. Keep taking good care so you'll stay that way.  


*adapted from several validated questionnaires used in voice clinics: See Voice Handicap Index (VHI), Jacobson et al.; Voice-Related Quality of Life (V-RQOL), Hogikan & Sethuraman; Laryngo-pharyngeal Reflux Symptom Index (RSI), Belafsky et al.