The Yanny or Laurel debate spread across social media in May 2018, after a short pronunciation recording was shared on Reddit and then in a viral Twitter poll. The underlying audio was a dictionary recording of the word laurel, but playback speed, volume and device speakers made many people hear yanny instead. Millions voted, celebrities and scientists weighed in explaining the role of high and low frequencies, and the clip joined a wave of perception memes that people still test on new listeners today.
About this sound
The Yanny clip is the viral audio illusion where listeners hear Yanny or Laurel, used in reaction videos and debates about what the voice actually says.
This is a very short looping voice clip that famously sounds like two completely different names depending on who is listening. Played clearly, the recording seems to say Yanny, but many listeners swear they hear Laurel instead, even when they listen side by side on the same device. The ambiguity comes from the pitch and frequency balance of the spoken word, so age, hearing, speakers and headphones all change the result. That instant disagreement is the effect, turning a simple half second clip into an argument starter that surprises people every time they share it.
