Back in 2015, a photograph of a dress went viral that ripped the internet apart. The image was exactly what it sounded like — it's a picture of a dress (and you can see it to the right) — but some people claimed to see the dress in a blue and black color combo, while others swore the dress appeared in gold and white.
Eventually the hype died down and people moved on with their lives. Every once in a while another image or two would pop up attempting to compete with 'the dress', but nothing really stuck.
Fast-forward to May 15th, 2018, and people beginning asking one simple question:
Yanny or Laurel?
But what did it mean? Well, the answer is very simple: an audio track was posted to a blogger's Instagram story with a voice repeating a single word.
The problem? Some people hear the word Yanny, and others hear the word Laurel.
What do you hear?! Yanny or Laurel pic.twitter.com/jvHhCbMc8IWhat do you hear?! Yanny or Laurel pic.twitter.com/jvHhCbMc8I— Cloe Feldman (@CloeCouture) May 15, 2018May 15, 2018
And the internet instantly imploded.
The swiftness of @Bitmoji will never not amaze me. pic.twitter.com/vpn9m9knBsThe swiftness of @Bitmoji will never not amaze me. pic.twitter.com/vpn9m9knBs— Mikah Sargent (@mikahsargent) May 16, 2018May 16, 2018
I'm thoroughly convinced that anyone who heard #Laurel is part of a conspiracy trying to make us think we're all crazyI'm thoroughly convinced that anyone who heard #Laurel is part of a conspiracy trying to make us think we're all crazy— Ash (@ashleyv1228) May 16, 2018May 16, 2018
Nine months from now:
"Oh you had twins, what are their names?"
"Yanny and Laurel."
"You named both your kids Laurel?"#Yanny #Laurel #TeamLaurelNine months from now:
"Oh you had twins, what are their names?"
"Yanny and Laurel."
"You named both your kids Laurel?"#Yanny #Laurel #TeamLaurel— Shad Powers (@shad_powers) May 16, 2018May 16, 2018
Ahaha I can't 😂 #Laurel #Yanny pic.twitter.com/ANpvJJz8OlAhaha I can't 😂 #Laurel #Yanny pic.twitter.com/ANpvJJz8Ol— The Outdoors 📸 (@pretty_outdoors) May 16, 2018May 16, 2018
What are you hearing? #Laurel pic.twitter.com/dHIAptIAw0What are you hearing? #Laurel pic.twitter.com/dHIAptIAw0— Liam (@LiamPayne) May 16, 2018May 16, 2018
Do you see #Yanny or #Laurel? pic.twitter.com/IBAw5sryXEDo you see #Yanny or #Laurel? pic.twitter.com/IBAw5sryXE— Blaine Stewart (@BlaineStewart) May 16, 2018May 16, 2018
Some people have tried to break down the clip and offer an explanation for why some are hearing it one way and others are hearing it another, but the internet is still torn as to what the word actually is.
What happens when you look at the Yanny/Laurel audio illusion in a Channel EQ. pic.twitter.com/YacV3f0VoxWhat happens when you look at the Yanny/Laurel audio illusion in a Channel EQ. pic.twitter.com/YacV3f0Vox— Travis Newton (@thetravisnewton) May 15, 2018May 15, 2018
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/suSw6AmLtnOk, 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, 2018May 15, 2018
So what do you think? Is it Yanny, or is it Laurel?
Let us know what you hear in the comments below.
(Personally? I hear Laurel...)
Cella writes for iMore on social and photography. She's a true crime enthusiast, bestselling horror author, lipstick collector, buzzkill, and Sicilian. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram: @hellorousseau
