Someone rightly said, “Hearing is through ears, but listening is through the mind.” The two activities hearing and listening involve the use of ears, but they are different. The hearing is nothing but a sense that helps you receive sound waves and noise by ears. It is the power of perceiving sounds.
On the contrary, listening is when you receive the sound waves and understand it by paying full attention to the words and sentences of the speaker. It is one’s ability to correctly receive and interpret the message transferred by the other party in the process of communication.
On the contrary, listening is when you receive the sound waves and understand it by paying full attention to the words and sentences of the speaker. It is one’s ability to correctly receive and interpret the message transferred by the other party in the process of communication.
Comparison Chart
| BASIS FOR COMPARISON | HEARING | LISTENING |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Hearing refers to one's ability to perceive sounds, by receiving vibrations through ears. | Listening is something done consciously, that involve the analysis and understanding of the sounds you hear. |
| What is it? | An ability | A skill |
| Nature | Primary and continuous | Secondary and temporary |
| Act | Physiological | Psychological |
| Involves | Receipt of a message through ears. | Interpretation of the message received by ears. |
| Process | Passive bodily process | Active mental process |
| Occurs at | Subconscious level | Conscious level |
| Use of senses | Only one | More than one |
| Reason | We are neither aware nor we have any control over the sounds we hear. | We listen to acquire knowledge and receive information. |
| Concentration | Not required | Required |