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People Describe The Most Awful Noise They've Ever Heard

People Describe The Most Awful Noise They've Ever Heard
Geralt/Pixabay

Sounds convey messages. They are often an expression of emotion or instinct. The sound of a child's laughter is regarded as precious and the sound of an animal's growl is a warning. Sometimes though there are sounds that just resonate in the worst way with those hearing them.

One of the worst sounds I had ever heard was a small one. The sound of the ultrasound tech's breath catch as they couldn't get my daughter to move. The baby was ok, but for a few minutes it was sheer chaos as the techs were trying to find what could be wrong. That sharp intake of breath was so intense


As misery often loves company one Redditor wanted others to share in what the worst, never want to hear that again noises people ever heard were.

OrchidSuspicous8787 asked the form:

What's the most God awful noise you've ever heard?"

These are some sounds we hope to not encounter any time soon…

Weirdly specific noises…

“It's a toss-up between a gas distribution facility exploding or hedgehogs having sex. Probably the latter, as it sounds like a baby being murdered. Egads, they're loud. Louder than foxes, and that's a high bar to cross...”sbisson

The anticipatory sound of silence…

​“When my daughter was born there were some last minute complications and the minute and a half of silence from when they pulled her out until she cried, which confirmed that she was alive, was f**king horrifying.” morris1022

Heart wrenching sound…

​“My 2-year-old daughter crying and saying "Ouchie, ouchie, ouchie" over and over while my wife and I had to pin her down to get an IV from a nurse who didn't know how to insert an IV. Actively participating in causing pain to a person that my entire existence is instinctively to protect was heartwrenching, particularly since she didn't understand why mommy and daddy were hurting her.”

“She is six, and still remembers it. Had to excuse myself to the urgent care hallway afterward to decompress and the nurse who effed up was in the hallway quietly crying. Probably the worst day of my life, and I've had some sh*tty ones.” textual_predditor

It's almost as bad as the feeling when the styrofoam drags on your fingernails.

“Styrofoam f*ck whoever invented it.” ​PeanutRecord698

“When you open a box that has that tight styrofoam packing insert inside, and you have to slide it out of the box and it makes that awful dry scraping sound on the way out... That's worse than nails on a chalkboard.” cdsbigsby

We can’t imagine the *crunch*!

​“The sound of a hand going through a metal roller between the roller and a rope. I was a naval medic and was stood beside the guy as the fingers and hand went through and then had to assist as we pulled it back out again, so I got to hear the bones crunching twice.” simev

Apparently rabbits can scream…

I was homeless, camping in a field. At night I'd see snowy white Owls gliding silently overhead hunting rabbits. One night I heard the most awful screaming from a young rabbit that got picked up and carried off, screaming and screaming and fading off into the distance.”

“The most awful terrible dying agony I ever heard from an animal. If I hadn't seen the owls while lying on my back looking up at the stars I never would have figured out what that was.” ​trackedonwire

Waking to a thud and child’s wailing is never good…

“When my son was 2, he took a really bad fall that basically resulted in a hole in his face (he hit his face on the edge of a chair). I was just waking up, it was 7am on a Saturday morning. My husband was up with the kids and they were playing.”

“All of sudden I hear a loud THUD and then silence - if you are a parent, you know that is NEVER good. Then a scream the likes of which I never heard and then just continued screaming. It was awful. Several hours in the emergency room and 18 stitches later, he was put back together again. By some miracle he did no damage to his teeth (yes, gums absolutely do bruise) and has only the slightest scar (mad props to the PA at the hospital who stitched him up).” SuchLovelyLilacs

“I dont think I'll ever forget those sounds."

“Earlier this year my family recieved word that my brother stopped coming into work and we hadnt heard from him in a few days. He wasnt picking up the phone and we feared the worst. My parents drove out to his place and we had to wait for the police and the apartment complex to open up the apartment and do a check. I was waiting at home and every second was an eternity waiting to hear on the results.”

“I ended up calling about 3 seconds after my parents recieved word that he was dead. I heard the wails of my parents, his girlfriend, and anyone else on scene, which included a number of his classmates and professors. I took it on myself to call family and friends so my parents didn't have to, and i heard each and every one of their wails too. I dont think I'll ever forget those sounds.” Daedalus308

Wasn’t there a whole scary movie based on an Oklahoma tornado?

North America Weather GIF by BBC America Giphy

“Tornado. May 3, 1999 Oklahoma City. We were in the center of the house in the bathroom. When a tornado hit our house (there were many smaller tornados that spawned off the main storm that day), it sounded like a bomb going off. The entire house shuddered." BillEvansTrioFan

The sound of true heartache…

“Sound of a wife finding out her husband had passed on her way to the ER. When the doc told her she collapsed to her knees and wailed a sound of loss so profound while weeping at the foot of the doctor. The doctor was affected but as the head of the ER he kept on going. It really was a superhero moment in my eyes, even though there was tragic loss.” ​dangersdad08

These sounds are something we hope to never encounter. Let's hope these folks don't again.

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