# What makes a match hiss upon being extinguished?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-a-match-hiss-upon-being-extinguished/470024>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 29, 2008, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-a-match-hiss-upon-being-extinguished/470024 "2008-10-29T01:47:53Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\
**Post date:** [October 29, 2008, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-a-match-hiss-upon-being-extinguished/470024/1 "2008-10-29T01:47:53Z")

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I was pondering this while smoking my tobacco pipe last week. There was a little rainwater in my ashtray, and when I tossed spent matches in a hissing noise resulted. The matches weren’t aflame; I had blown them out. What is specifically happening that causes that hissing noise? Is the match head still smoldering? If so, again what is happening in that instant that causes noise to be produced? Insta-boiling of a tiny about of water? Nucleation sites in the spent match head?

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**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\
**Post date:** [October 29, 2008, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-a-match-hiss-upon-being-extinguished/470024/2 "2008-10-29T02:07:42Z")

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The match head is still hotter than 100 C when it hits the water, so it boils a bit when it hits.

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**Author:** ![PopeJewish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@PopeJewish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PopeJewish)\
**Post date:** [October 29, 2008, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-a-match-hiss-upon-being-extinguished/470024/3 "2008-10-29T03:33:27Z")

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> [@RealityChuck](#):
>
> The match head is still hotter than 100 C when it hits the water, so it boils a bit when it hits.

Indeed. The “hiss” you hear is the water quickly turning to steam and “escaping”

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**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\
**Post date:** [October 29, 2008, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-a-match-hiss-upon-being-extinguished/470024/4 "2008-10-29T03:43:11Z")

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That was my guess. Thanks. It’s kind of amazing that even a tiny amount of water flash boils from a spent match.