# I can't stand the sound of my own voice **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 19, 2011, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-stand-the-sound-of-my-own-voice/582431 "2011-05-19T11:58:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-stand-the-sound-of-my-own-voice/582431/21 "2011-05-19T16:26:34Z")
I hate my voice with a passion. I have a strong “lateral S” - I sound like Sylvester on the Warner Brothers cartoons. Unfortunately, I can’t usually hear it, so I can’t fix it, and I can’t afford a speech therapist. ---
**Author:** ![llcoolbj77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/eb9ed0/32.png) [@llcoolbj77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/llcoolbj77)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-stand-the-sound-of-my-own-voice/582431/22 "2011-05-19T16:32:51Z")
I hate the sound of my voice! When I listen to my voicemail greeting, I think I sound like I am 13 years old. My poor clients, trying to call their lawyer, and this 13 year old is saying, “please leave a message!” Alas… ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-stand-the-sound-of-my-own-voice/582431/23 "2011-05-19T16:32:53Z")
Another vote for perfectly fine voice. I sound like a hick, which I can modulate a bit, but most of the time, I don’t give a shit. I hate my voice, too, and I’m a “singer”, haha! ---
**Author:** ![Brynda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@Brynda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brynda)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-stand-the-sound-of-my-own-voice/582431/24 "2011-05-19T16:56:16Z")
I am really picky about voices and I was totally prepared to hate yours. I didn’t. You sound fine. ---
**Author:** ![BomTek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bomtek/32/21364_2.png) [@BomTek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BomTek)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-stand-the-sound-of-my-own-voice/582431/25 "2011-05-19T17:38:04Z")
I too think this is pretty common. My teammates and I were just talking about this a few days ago here, and we all said that we hate the way we sound in recordings and such. I wondered aloud how my wife could have fallen in love with and married someone who sounds the way I do. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![classyladyhp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b5ac83/32.png) [@classyladyhp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/classyladyhp)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-stand-the-sound-of-my-own-voice/582431/26 "2011-05-19T17:43:54Z")
> [@Whiteknight](#): > > I cringe at the sound of my own recorded voice. Is this a common experience? It sounds so much better in my head and I am horrified about how other people must hear me. Join the club. I think it’s apretty common thing. ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-stand-the-sound-of-my-own-voice/582431/27 "2011-05-19T22:55:33Z")
I am not a fan of my voice either. Never have been. I used to loath watching myself on home videos as well, not just because of the voice. ---
**Author:** ![Tarwater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9de0a6/32.png) [@Tarwater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tarwater)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-stand-the-sound-of-my-own-voice/582431/28 "2011-05-19T23:09:03Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > It’s extremely common, but you might actually have a horrible voice. I laughed so hard. ---
**Author:** ![Invisible\_Chimp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f05b48/32.png) [@Invisible\_Chimp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Invisible_Chimp)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-stand-the-sound-of-my-own-voice/582431/29 "2011-05-20T00:51:07Z")
I have mistaken my brother and my dad on the phone and overhearing them in the other room. My stepbrothers tried to get me to impersonate my dad on the phone. IOW, the three of us sound similar. I think their voices are fine. I hate listening to my recorded voice. I’m sure it’s not really a bad voice, but it’s not the voice that I’ve been conditioned to identify as “mine,” so it sounds off. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-stand-the-sound-of-my-own-voice/582431/30 "2011-05-20T12:41:22Z")
My voice sounds quite a bit higher in recordings, and I think it makes me sound more young/immature than I actually am. For some reason the podcast won’t give me a timebar. Are you the cloth diaper guy? ---
**Author:** ![Whiteknight](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whiteknight/32/4962_2.png) [@Whiteknight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whiteknight)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-stand-the-sound-of-my-own-voice/582431/31 "2011-05-20T13:36:05Z")
> [@olivesmarch4th](#): > > My voice sounds quite a bit higher in recordings, and I think it makes me sound more young/immature than I actually am. > > For some reason the podcast won’t give me a timebar. Are you the cloth diaper guy? That’s me. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-stand-the-sound-of-my-own-voice/582431/32 "2011-05-20T18:19:35Z")
I think I sound terrible. I won’t voluntarily listen to myself in a recording. But the guys in my WoW raid (both straight and gay–about half the raid is each) tell me I have a nice voice and they’d like to listen to me read them stories. So go figure. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-stand-the-sound-of-my-own-voice/582431/33 "2011-05-20T20:32:59Z")
> [@Whiteknight](#): > > That’s me. Your voice is fine. Attractive, even. Also you kind of sold me on the cloth diaper thing. For when I have kids. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2011, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-stand-the-sound-of-my-own-voice/582431/34 "2011-05-21T20:10:09Z")
> [@Whiteknight](#): > > Well thanks for the validations. It’s just shocking how much more nasal I sound. In my head my voice is a lot more even and a bit deeper. And that’s exactly what I think the phone is doing to your voice. Cutting off all upper resonances makes your voice sound higher and more nasal. > [@gallows\_fodder](#): > > You may also be altering your voice unconsciously just because you’re on the phone. I’ve noticed that I pitch my voice higher or lower depending on the situation, but it’s not something I do deliberately. You may very well speak more evenly and deeply in face-to-face conversation. I apparently do this, too. I talk higher on the phone because otherwise I sound like I’m mumbling. And it goes even higher if I’m excited. I didn’t even notice I did this until someone I met online pointed it out. ---
**Author:** ![Whiteknight](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whiteknight/32/4962_2.png) [@Whiteknight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whiteknight)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-stand-the-sound-of-my-own-voice/582431/35 "2011-05-23T10:30:51Z")
> [@olivesmarch4th](#): > > Your voice is fine. Attractive, even. > > Also you kind of sold me on the cloth diaper thing. For when I have kids. Well thank you, but now you’re laying it on too thick. Let’s not go that far! Glad to spread the word on cloth diapering! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-stand-the-sound-of-my-own-voice/582431.md?page=1)