Using an experimental paradigm in which both masking and probe‐click intensity are fixed and the temporal interval is manipulated, we investigated forward and backward masking for various intensities of masking and probe clicks. For both masking modes, monaural temporal masking is found (1) to increase logarithmically as a function of increasing masking‐click level; and (2) to decrease as a function of increasing probe‐click level. The amount of masking is greater for the forward than for the backward mode. Intense masking clicks and weak probe clicks produce the greatest difference between forward and backward masking. For both forward and backward modes, masking is found to be less than previously reported. A peripheral latency‐intensity conversion hypothesis appears adequate to account for these data.