Can you hear 'yanny' or 'laurel' in this creepy audio clip that's splitting the internet?

16 May 2018, 09:50

Remember that summer where we argued with everyone over the colour of a dress? Well, here's a new one.

Two totally different words - 'yanny' and 'laurel' are causing rifts between everyone online.

On Tuesday (May 15), vlogger Cloe Feldman posted what seemed like an obvious question on Instagram and Twitter: “What do you hear? Yanny or Laurel," along with a recording of a computerized voice, that in our opinion is clearly saying 'Laurel'.

However, it seems like there are many people who hear the the word 'yanny' in the recording.

Here it is:

Now, which one do you hear?

So yes, it appears that the 'laurel' folk (the right ones) swear they hear 'laurel', whereas the 'yanny' people think the exact opposite. What is going on?

There's no part of that in any way, shape or form whatsoever that makes the sound Yanny. Not even close. It's Laurel. Is this some kind of conspiracy?
— Sal Vulcano (@SalVulcano) May 16, 2018

Well, there is some kind of science to it, and it's all to do with volume and pitch. If you hear the clip from different distances, or on different devices, or at a different volume, it may sound like a different word.

If you turn down the volume, your speakers or headphones will then adjust by reducing the bass, potentially allowing you to hear ‘Yanny’. If you turn the volume up and increase the bass, you’ll probably hear 'Laurel'.

Ok, so if you pitch-shift it you can hear different things:

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
— Steve Pomeroy (@xxv) May 15, 2018