*By Alisha Haridasani*
It’s the most divisive question since the blue and black dress (or was it white and gold?!): Do you hear Yanny or Laurel?
Technically, the answer is "Laurel." But some people swear it's "Yanny."
The question, which is ripping the internet apart, revolves around an audio clip [reportedly](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/15/science/yanny-laurel.html) posted on Reddit by a student who found it on a vocabulary website when researching a school project under the word "laurel." The clip went viral, leaving many listeners questioning what they heard ー and maybe their sanity.
The discrepancy in what people hear could be due to circumstance, said Brad Story, professor of speech, language, and hearing at the University of Arizona.
“It really is going to depend on the information that you have in terms of your bias toward listening to it at that moment in time," said Story. "That’s what we call ‘top-down information’ ー trying to make sense of any kind of pattern that's present.”
The two words share very similar acoustic characteristics that your brain could selectively hear it one way or the other, he said.
The bass, frequency, and volume of the audio clip can also influence what someone hears. Some people posted videos on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/JFLivesay/status/996585941241401346) where the audio levels were adjusted, changing how the clip could be heard.
So, whatever the *technical* answer to the question is, in reality, it can be both.
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/yanny-vs-laurel).
On this episode of Cheddar Reveals, Jen Young, Outdoorsy co-founder and CMO, breaks down the travel industry trend towards RVs and camper vans, and how the evolution of work-from-home culture has caused it to jump; Nick DiBella, Senior Vice President of Operations for Sun Outdoors, discusses why transforming into an outdoor hospitality company was so crucial at this time, the evolution of outdoor travel, and what this means for the future of the travel industry; Cheddar gets a look at Curiosity Stream's 'The Woodstock Bus.'
Nick DiBella, Senior Vice President of Operations for Sun Outdoors, joins Cheddar Reveals to discuss why transforming into an outdoor hospitality company was so crucial at this time, the evolution of outdoor travel, and what this means for the future of the travel industry.
Jen Young, Outdoorsy co-founder and CMO, joins Cheddar Reveals to discuss the travel industry trend towards RVs and camper vans, and how the evolution of work-from-home culture has caused it to jump.
'West Side Story' is off to a slow start, the film debuted with $10.5 million. Thom Geier, executive editor at the Wrap, joins Cheddar News to discuss the movies people should be looking forward to and the overall state of the industry.
Cheddar is looking back at the 12 biggest buzzwords of the year leading up to Christmas. Today's word of the day, 'Yolo Trade.' Yolo Trade: (noun) derived from the acronym 'You Only Live Once.' Describes a trade where someone goes all in on a stock.
Matt Schulz, Chief Credit Analyst at LendingTree, joins Cheddar to break down the different types of credit card rewards that are out there, which states utilize rewards more than others, and how to get the most out of your credit card rewards.
