GRBAS

GRBAS is a perceptual voice-quality assessment scale used in clinical and research settings. It provides a standardized profile of five attributes of a speaker’s voice: Grade (G) for overall dysphonia severity, Roughness (R) for irregular vocal-fold vibration, Breathiness (B) for audible air leakage, Asthenia (A) for lack of vocal energy, and Strain (S) for excessive vocal effort. Each attribute is rated by trained listeners on a multi-point scale, commonly 0 for normal up to 3 (or 4) for increasing abnormality. The Grade offers an overall impression, while the other four dimensions describe specific perceptual qualities.

GRBAS is usually applied to audio samples such as sustained vowels or short sentences. Ratings are made independently by listeners and can be averaged to form a GRBAS profile. Because perceptual judgments are subjective, reliability improves with listening training and calibration; cross-language and cross-cultural studies report variable agreement. GRBAS is often used alongside objective acoustic measures and other perceptual scales, such as CAPE-V.

Interpretation examples: increased roughness or strain suggests laryngeal hyperfunction or structural pathology; prominent breathiness may indicate glottal insufficiency; reduced energy characterizes asthenia. The scale is simple and flexible, facilitating quick documentation of voice quality and monitoring of treatment effects.

Origin and usage: GRBAS was introduced in the 1980s as a practical method for standardized perceptual evaluation of voice quality and remains widely cited. It has multiple language adaptations and continues to be used in clinics and research to characterize and track dysphonia.