No One Can Tell If This Person Is Saying 'Laurel' Or 'Yanny'
By Dave Basner
May 16, 2018
It's been over three years since the Internet was torn over the color of a dress, and since then some other items have sparked debate, but nothing has ripped apart homes as much as the latest viral item no one can agree on. This time, it depends not on your eyes but on your ears.
A YouTuber named Cloe Feldman was the first to post it - a very short audio clip that says the same thing two times. Many people are absolutely certain that they hear the word "Laurel" in the audio snippet, but then others are 100% sure it says "Yanny," and neither side can believe that the other hears what they do.
What do you hear?! Yanny or Laurel pic.twitter.com/jvHhCbMc8I
— Cloe Feldman (@CloeCouture) May 15, 2018
The fights it's causing on Twitter might be enough to bring the entire Internet down.
I thought this was a dumb internet thing and then I played it for 4 people without telling them what the two options were.
— Jarett Wieselman (@JarettSays) May 15, 2018
Two said Yanny
Two said Laurel.
I WANT TO DIEhttps://t.co/PFCeVwy8Gi
how are y’all hearing laurel? it clear as day says yanny
— lexy rose (@imlexyrose) May 15, 2018
Wait... I don’t get it. Is this a joke? It very clearly says “yanny” and in no way could it possibly be misheard as “laurel”...am I losing my mind?
— Colleen Ballinger🎗 (@ColleenB123) May 16, 2018
this is out of control WHO IN THE CRAP IS HEARING LAUREL https://t.co/nxwZiShVan
— Kristin Chirico (@lolacoaster) May 15, 2018
Yanny....I listened 10 times and cant figure out how anyone hears laurel
— Kay◟̽◞̽ (@hazzasxinfinity) May 15, 2018
Some people have played around with the sound to see if that changes anyone's mind:
you can hear both when you adjust the bass levels: pic.twitter.com/22boppUJS1
— Earth Vessel Quotes (@earthvessquotes) May 15, 2018
Ok, so if you pitch-shift it you can hear different things:
— Steve Pomeroy (@xxv) May 15, 2018
down 30%: https://t.co/F5WCUZQJlq
down 20%: https://t.co/CLhY5tvnC1
up 20%: https://t.co/zAc7HomuCS
up 30% https://t.co/JdNUILOvFW
up 40% https://t.co/8VTkjXo3L1 https://t.co/suSw6AmLtn
Even celebrities are weighing in:
it's so clearly laurel. I can't even figure out how one would hear yanny.
— christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) May 15, 2018
Literally everything at my show just stopped to see if people hear Laurel or Yanny. I hear Laurel. https://t.co/efWRw1Gj0L
— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) May 15, 2018
It’s Yanny.
— Stephen King (@StephenKing) May 16, 2018
"Laurel? Yanny? All I hear is the SONG OF THE SUMMER." pic.twitter.com/cxRvOB7doL
— The Late Show (@colbertlateshow) May 15, 2018
If you wanted to know whether I hear Yanny or Laurel here's your answer. 😎☕️ pic.twitter.com/xnrIby2kmd
— Kyle MacLachlan (@Kyle_MacLachlan) May 15, 2018
Popular Science got to the bottom of it, recruiting a professor of speech to break down the clip. After analyzing the soundwaves of the audio, he explained that the wave features the characteristics of "L" and "R" sounds, meaning it's probably saying "Laurel." While the waveform of "Yanny" is similar, it isn't the same. Due to some overlaying frequencies from the low quality of the sound clip, some people hear "Yanny."
Does anyone hear both yanny and laurel? pic.twitter.com/lSxgohjt81
— Jynjo (@jynjo) May 15, 2018
TMZ caught up with the guy who originally posted the clip, a Reddit user who goes by RolandCamry. He revealed that it is definitely "Laurel," explaining how he recorded the robotic pronunciation of "Laurel" from vocabulary.com off his speakers, which caused the sound distortion. He did it after checking out the site with a friend and arguing over what they heard when they listened to the pronunciation of "Laurel."
But really, how could anyone hear "Yanny" anyways? It clearly says "Laurel."
Photo Credit: Getty