# Sneeze speed **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 9, 2007, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sneeze-speed/429414 "2007-12-09T20:48:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2007, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sneeze-speed/429414/1 "2007-12-09T20:48:13Z")
“They” say that the air of a sneeze travels at about a hundred miles an hour. Is this another one of “those” factoids that “I” tend to put in “quotes” (e.g., the average person eats eleventy spiders per week)? I did a board search, checked Snopes, and Googled, but all I found was a repetition of this “fact.” ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2007, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sneeze-speed/429414/2 "2007-12-09T21:51:46Z")
Spiders: Nope, debunked. (by Cecil, I think) Bumping this thread to give this very important question about our bodies a chance for an answer. If all the Chinese in China faced east and sneezed at the same time, would the earth slow down? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2007, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sneeze-speed/429414/3 "2007-12-10T00:34:20Z")
Well, according to the following link: [http://sciencelinks.jp/j-east/article/200517/000020051705A0668028.php](http://sciencelinks.jp/j-east/article/200517/000020051705A0668028.php) It all travels at about 2 m/s which is about 4.5 mph. Of course, that’s the average speed after leaving the mouth (and before it stops) if I am reading the link right, so 9 mph at the lips or 10 in the throat seems reasonable perhaps? ---
**Author:** ![Flander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8c91f0/32.png) [@Flander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flander)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2007, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sneeze-speed/429414/4 "2007-12-10T01:54:53Z")
I imagine the speed would also be effected by the size of the opening of the mouth and the volume of air going threw it over a time. If I sneeze with my mouth wide open, I imagine the air coming out of my mouth would be slow than if I closed my lips and made a small hole. Correct me if I’m wrong please. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2007, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sneeze-speed/429414/5 "2007-12-10T03:08:29Z")
This question is not to be sneezed at. :eek: What? ---
**Author:** ![ignis\_glaciesque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f8ce5/32.png) [@ignis\_glaciesque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ignis_glaciesque)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2007, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sneeze-speed/429414/6 "2007-12-10T05:55:46Z")
Someone once told me that a sneeze propels the air at .85 Mach (i.e. the speed a commercial airliner typically cruises at altitude). Naturally, I took that with a grain of salt — that sort of speed would blow off the whole front of my face, wouldn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2007, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sneeze-speed/429414/7 "2007-12-10T17:38:40Z")
[QUOTE=glee] This question is not to be sneezed at. [/QUOTE] 😛 PPptPptptpPptpthhtheppPpptth! By the way, I didn’t get into the background for this post. You see, I’m the only thing stopping this so-called “fact” from making its way into an elementary school textbook, and as a proud member of the Teeming Millions, I feel it’s my duty to keep ignorance at bay. I’ve already stopped things such as the [more-muscles-to-frown](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/040116.html) balderdash from passing on to the young’uns, but unless I can delete with some position of authority, it’s likely to end up making the rounds of e-mail lists for a whole new generation. _Won’t somebody think of the children?!_ Of course if it _is_ true, I’ll be more than happy to let it pass – it’s just that this seems to cutesy to go unchecked.