Poll: Do You Hear the Word "Laurel", "Yanni", or Something Else?

[JasonP]

I read in the news about an audio clip that has different people debating about which word was said. Some say "laurel", some say "yanni", and some are saying some other word. Certain "experts" are talking about how people can hear it in a different pitch and therefore make out a different word. I was wondering if people with tinnitus would hear it the same way.

The audio is found at the beginning of this video, if you need to hear the word:



again just rewind to the beginning.

 

[Tinker Bell]

I heard yanny the first time I heard it. Then immediately after I played a version with more bass and heard laurel. Went back to the original recording, and I still heard laurel. It's as if once my brain heard it correctly, then I couldn't hear it any other way.

And yes, the original was laurel. This link lets you manipulate the frequencies, allowing you to alter what you hear: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/05/16/upshot/audio-clip-yanny-laurel-debate.html

 

[Red]

Yanni. I listened to it multiple times. I'm not going to manipulate sound frequencies, to me that defeats the purpose. I can't even begin to fathom it could be Laurel. Doesn't even sound remotely like it.

 

[Ed209]

All I can hear is laurel.

 

[Lane]

When I watched the evening news on NBC, I clearly heard Laurel. When I heard it later on PBS Newshour, I clearly heard Yanny.

I had recorded and saved the NBC segment, so I went back to it, convinced I would again hear Laurel. But instead, I was totally dumbfounded to clearly hear Yanny. How could that be? I had just 3-4 hours earlier heard Laurel. -- My tinnitus however, was noticeably worse those 3-4 hours later. Go figure,​

 

[Daniel95]

Weird, I hear both. A predominant overlaid higher-pitch yanny, and a deep laurel underneath. And I can sorta make one sound clearer by focusing on hearing it.

 

[kelpiemsp]

Do a volume sweep starting with lowest to highest. On typical speakers, you will hear yanny because they don't transmit the low sounds as well, and as it gets to its loudest you hear laurel. At least in my case.

 

[Ed209]

I heard yanny the first time I heard it. Then immediately after I played a version with more bass and heard laurel. Went back to the original recording, and I still heard laurel. It's as if once my brain heard it correctly, then I couldn't hear it any other way.

And yes, the original was laurel. This link lets you manipulate the frequencies, allowing you to alter what you hear: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/05/16/upshot/audio-clip-yanny-laurel-debate.html

If I slide it completely to the right, on an iPhone, it sounds like 'jelly' to me.

 

[Siri]

I definitely heard yanny, no matter how many times I listened I never heard laurel.

 

[threefirefour]

I hear eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

 

[Zug]

Yanny for sure. You Laurel people are crazy.

 

[Tinker Bell]

Yanny for sure. You Laurel people are crazy.

Laurel uses lower frequencies. Can you hear only yanny when you use the slider in the link I provided?

I feel like there's somehow a hearing test in here. Like if you think you have high frequency hearing loss yet you hear yanny.

 

[Zug]

Laurel uses lower frequencies. Can you hear only yanny when you use the slider in the link I provided?

I feel like there's somehow a hearing test in here. Like if you think you have high frequency hearing loss yet you hear yanny.

Yeah, if I play with the slider I can hear Laurel.

I hear Yanny every time, my wife is younger and has better hearing than me and hears Laurel.

 

[Ed209]

Sorry it's gotta be done

 

[Lane]

Good one Ed! Hilarious!

 

[IAmCalifornia]

What did everyone else hear?

This is the biggest audiology story that I can remember.

 

[Apolonia]

What did everyone else hear?

This is the biggest audiology story that I can remember.

I heard Yanny... I can discern a little bit Laurel if I concentrate really hard... It seems that people who hear Yanny have better hearing because they can hear higher frequencies... because Yanny is high frequency and Laurel is low frequency... That is according to scientists.. dunno if I should feel happy that I hear Yanny despite tinnitus or not... I wish there was a REAL audiogram that can measure exactly the points where my hearing is lacking...

 

[IAmCalifornia]

I hear Laurel... but once on the radio I heard "yarry"

 

[Zug]

A neuroscientist explains:

 

[JasonP]

Well, it's been over a year and I think can conclude from the results that people with tinnitus do not all hear this audio the same. Thanks so much to everyone for participating! This was very interesting to me.