# What is the most annoying sound in the world? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 12, 2014, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-annoying-sound-in-the-world/707068 "2014-12-12T22:39:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Nefario](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/59ef9b/32.png) [@Nefario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nefario)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2014, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-annoying-sound-in-the-world/707068/61 "2014-12-14T23:50:12Z")
Jake Brakes operated in close proximity. Especially because you know the jerk truck driver is doing it to intentionally scare people or compensate for some other shortcoming. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2014, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-annoying-sound-in-the-world/707068/62 "2014-12-15T00:25:34Z")
Once or twice a month I drive a disabled, non-driving neighbor on errand - to the grocery store, doctor or dentist appointments, whatever. She is a chronic chain smoker and since I don’t let her smoke in my vehicle, she coughs non-stop. It’s a disgusting, phlegmy, wet cough. I know she can’t help it but it makes me want to scream. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2014, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-annoying-sound-in-the-world/707068/63 "2014-12-15T05:19:26Z")
[Florence Foster Jenkins](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6h4f77T-LoM). ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2014, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-annoying-sound-in-the-world/707068/64 "2014-12-15T06:31:48Z")
Fox “News” ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Mondegreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/91b2a8/32.png) [@Lord\_Mondegreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Mondegreen)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2014, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-annoying-sound-in-the-world/707068/65 "2014-12-15T10:44:03Z")
A mosquito buzzing in my ear in the middle of the night. Not only is the actual sound incredibly annoying, but there is the added risk that I may wake up with itchy insect bites in the morning. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2014, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-annoying-sound-in-the-world/707068/66 "2014-12-15T11:47:51Z")
The way Kesha enunciates [“Brushed my teeth with a bottle of Jack”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iP6XpLQM2Cs). mmm ---
**Author:** ![BaldDudePeekskill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5e925/32.png) [@BaldDudePeekskill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BaldDudePeekskill)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2014, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-annoying-sound-in-the-world/707068/67 "2014-12-15T12:28:35Z")
The sound of clipping nails…especially in a public place. The backup beeps of a vehicle The chirp of an undiscoverable smoke detector . I can never isolate the proper one so I change the batteries in everyone, every time. That scrape as one’s car fishtails ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2014, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-annoying-sound-in-the-world/707068/68 "2014-12-15T17:17:48Z")
The high-frequency electronic beeping/ongoing sound that is currently happening down the street, where an office is expanding its parking lot. I think it’s some kind of laser surveying tool. It’s been going on for days, just loud and piercing enough to drive us all into a murderous frenzy. ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2014, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-annoying-sound-in-the-world/707068/69 "2014-12-15T17:24:51Z")
Screaming/whining/crying brats (infant to child) ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2014, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-annoying-sound-in-the-world/707068/70 "2014-12-15T19:58:44Z")
> [@KRC](#): > > Yes, Iggy, one day us kids didn’t shut up and Teach did it till we begged for mercy. I’m not sure what this means, but if you’re alluding to Iggy Azalea, then hell yes. I have never, ever had more distaste for a perfomer. Her voice makes me borderline homicidal. And now that I’ve seen her (on the American Music Awards)and can picture her stupid lyrics coming out of her ugly horse face I really can’t change the channel fast enough when she comes on. When lazy bitches in the shoe department (think discount stores like Ross as opposed to proper department stores) drop shoes on the ground to try them on. That goes double for the lazy asses (men and women) who drop their workout equipment on the gym floor. I never understand why the instructor doesn’t say something. Presumably it’s not great for the floor (?). I’ll second the sound of someone hitting their keyboard too hard. I worked with a woman who, among her many annoying habits, would pound the hell out of each key. I believe it was because she learned to type on a manual typewriter (then again, who didn’t?)and after 20 odd years she still had gotten used to computer keyboards :rolleyes: Anyone speaking with a \*strong \*regional accent(American) of pretty much any kind, though midwesterners irritate me the most. ---
**Author:** ![MikeF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MikeF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeF)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2014, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-annoying-sound-in-the-world/707068/71 "2014-12-15T20:16:51Z")
That coughing, spurting sound as the keg runs dry. ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2014, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-annoying-sound-in-the-world/707068/72 "2014-12-15T20:17:28Z")
Auto-tuning ---
**Author:** ![Dustin\_the\_Wind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f1d935/32.png) [@Dustin\_the\_Wind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dustin_the_Wind)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2014, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-annoying-sound-in-the-world/707068/73 "2014-12-15T20:39:58Z")
Gum cracking. This makes me homicidal. David Lee Roth’s squawk. ---
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2014, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-annoying-sound-in-the-world/707068/74 "2014-12-15T21:12:37Z")
nm ---
**Author:** ![Norse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a9adbd/32.png) [@Norse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Norse)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2014, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-annoying-sound-in-the-world/707068/75 "2014-12-15T21:14:02Z")
My tinnitus ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2014, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-annoying-sound-in-the-world/707068/76 "2014-12-15T21:39:42Z")
> [@Lord\_Mondegreen](#): > > A mosquito buzzing in my ear in the middle of the night. Not only is the actual sound incredibly annoying, but there is the added risk that I may wake up with itchy insect bites in the morning. I’m changing my vote to this. ---
**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:** [December 15, 2014, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-annoying-sound-in-the-world/707068/77 "2014-12-15T22:34:22Z")
> [@Dustin\_the\_Wind](#): > > David Lee Roth’s squawk. This. I was gonna name a few others, but this right here is the winner for me. The others: - shrieking/crying/whining babies/children - “wet” eating - that overdone slurping sound they do on TV and in movies when two characters are “deep kissing” - cellophane crinkling in movie theaters - people who think they can carry a tune (and love to sing!) when they’re actually tone deaf Seriously, when I was in high school I had to stop playing the radio in my car when my friend was with me, because she insisted on singing along and she couldn’t find the right note if it was handed to her on a plate. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2014, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-annoying-sound-in-the-world/707068/78 "2014-12-15T22:57:13Z")
\*\*What is the most annoying sound in the world? \*\* Christmas music. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2014, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-annoying-sound-in-the-world/707068/79 "2014-12-16T00:08:56Z")
The scraping of a pencil’s eraser over paper if there’s insufficient eraser left and so it’s just the metal part scraping on the paper. I think the metal part’s called a ferrule. ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2014, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-annoying-sound-in-the-world/707068/80 "2014-12-16T00:20:56Z")
> [@Dustin\_the\_Wind](#): > > Gum cracking. This makes me homicidal… I’ve already contributed leaf blowers to this thread, but I have to say, I agree with this gum cracking/snapping sound being another of the most annoying sounds. (I came back to this thread to post it, and I see **Dustin** has beat me to it.) Why do people crack their gum? Don’t they realize how fucking annoying it is? I was stuck in a long, slow line of people once, next to a woman repeatedly cracking her gum. Thankfully, she had a young son with her, or else I might’ve said some nasty words to her. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-annoying-sound-in-the-world/707068.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-annoying-sound-in-the-world/707068.md?page=5)