Tinnitus in Spanish

What it means

Tinnitus is the perception of sound that does not have an external source, so other people cannot hear it. It is commonly described as a ringing sound, but it can also sound like roaring, clicking, hissing, or buzzing. The sound may be soft or loud, high pitched or low pitched, and it can be heard in one ear or both. It may come and go or be present all the time, and when it lasts for three months or longer it is considered chronic. The causes are unclear, but most people who have tinnitus have some degree of hearing loss. It is only rarely associated with a serious medical problem. There is currently no cure, but there are ways to reduce symptoms.

Tinnitus in Spanish

Spanish term: Tinnitus
Gender and article: masculine: el tinnitus
Pronunciation: tee-NEE-toos

Other Spanish terms	Where it is used	Note
acúfeno	General	The Spanish NIDCD page says tinnitus is also known by this name.
zumbido en los oídos	General	The MedlinePlus en español encyclopedia says tinnitus is frequently called this; its alternative names include zumbido de oídos.
silbidos en los oídos	General	Listed among the alternative names in the MedlinePlus en español encyclopedia article.

MedlinePlus en español and the Spanish pages of the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) keep the word tinnitus in Spanish and use it as a masculine noun: el tinnitus. NIDCD adds that it is also known as acúfeno. The MedlinePlus en español encyclopedia calls tinnitus the medical term for "hearing" noises in the ears and says it is frequently called zumbido en los oídos; its alternative names include zumbido de oídos and silbidos en los oídos.

For describing the sound, NIDCD's parallel English and Spanish lists pair timbre with ringing, zumbido with buzzing, rugido with roaring, chasquido with clicking and siseo with hissing. MedlinePlus en español, however, writes un zumbido en los oídos where its English page says "a ringing in the ears." Related words on the NIDCD page are pérdida de audición (hearing loss) and audífonos (hearing aids), and tinnitus lasting three months or longer is called crónico.

Phrases for an appointment

What a patient or a clinician might say, in English and Spanish:

Who	English	Spanish
Patient	I hear a ringing in my ears that does not go away.	Oigo un zumbido en los oídos que no desaparece.
Clinician	Do you hear it in one ear or in both?	¿Lo oye en un oído o en ambos?
Patient	Only in the left ear, and it gets worse at night when everything is quiet.	Solo en el oído izquierdo, y empeora por la noche cuando todo está en silencio.
Clinician	Is the sound constant, or does it come and go?	¿El sonido es constante, o va y viene?
Patient	It comes and goes. Sometimes it sounds like buzzing and sometimes like hissing.	Va y viene. A veces suena como un zumbido y a veces como un siseo.
Clinician	Have you had exposure to loud noise, at work or elsewhere?	¿Ha tenido exposición a ruidos fuertes, en el trabajo o en otro lugar?
Clinician	I would like to check your hearing, because most people with tinnitus have some hearing loss.	Quisiera revisar su audición, porque la mayoría de las personas con tinnitus tienen algo de pérdida de audición.
Patient	The noise makes it hard for me to sleep and concentrate.	El ruido me dificulta dormir y concentrarme.

In 9 languages

Language	Term
English	Tinnitus
Spanish (Español)	Tinnitus
Chinese (中文)	耳鳴
Korean (한국어)	이명
Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)	Ù tai
Filipino (Tagalog)	Ingay sa tainga
Portuguese (Português)	Zumbido no ouvido
Thai (ภาษาไทย)	หูอื้อ
Japanese (日本語)	耳鳴り

Where you'll see it

chartintake formmedical recordneurology report

Related ICD-10-CM category

ICD-10-CM code: H93 → Other disorders of ear, not elsewhere classified

Related terms

Your right to an interpreter in the United States

If English is not your primary language and you have difficulty communicating in English, you may need an interpreter or a translated document when you visit a doctor or dentist, go to the emergency room or pick up a prescription. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights states that two federal laws, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, require programs that receive its funding to provide language access services free of charge.

You can ask when you make the appointment or at the front desk: "I need an interpreter, please." «Necesito un intérprete, por favor.»

More terms: Eyes and ears

All terms in this area: Eyes and ears — Ojos y oídos

Sources

This page is a language reference. It is not medical advice.