Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Divulge The One Sound That Automatically Fills Them With Dread

People Divulge The One Sound That Automatically Fills Them With Dread
@chairulfajar_/Unsplash

Our senses are tied to our memories in very big ways. So much so that when we hear certain sounds it can bring back a flood of emotions. A truly visceral reaction is elicited when the sound hits out ears.

Sometimes we have associated that sound with a bad memory, a stressful event, a troubling time in our lives, or it was just plain annoying to hear. Some have found that they're not alone in their dreadful sound associations.

Redditor cigarandcreamsoda wanted to know:

"What sound automatically fills you with horror and dread?"

Here's a few of those anxiety inducing noises. Even reading some of these caused an involuntary shudder!



Knock knock.

"Sudden loud knocking on the door."

- dionesav

"One of the delivery guys at the restaurant I work for is famous for the 'cop knock' - it scares the living bejeezus out of me every time."

"What's worse is the time he did that and then leaned in to stare creepily in the front window at me."

- FuzzyRoseHat

"For me its literally any knocking on my door whatsoever. I'm a 30 year old with kids but my *ss will still get incredibly silent and sneak over to the window to get a peak at whose at my door before I even THINK about opening it or announcing my presence. Most of the time if I don't recognize the person I will just pretend I'm not home."

redeemer47

Work stress.

"Microsoft Teams incoming call tone."

- Joseph_HTMP

"This traumatizes me just thinking about it."

- tianaaa_xo

"The message tone or Outlook's email/event notification will do the same thing. When I hear it, I shudder."

- Silly-Cantalope-456

"It probably says more about the job I walked out of with acute stress in February, but the sound of it genuinely makes my stomach turn."

- Joseph_HTMP

A sound from deep within.

"I am a very adventurous eater. If it is edible or I think its edible I will take a bite. More than one time I have nearly bitten into candles. While this leads to many good experiences I am somewhat well known for getting food poisoning. I ate something I shouldn't have like gas station sushi.

"So, there is a very specific sound your insides make when things are going to sh!t. There is the deep cavernous bellow, but it comes from lower on your torso, almost near your pelvis. It's like the growl of some ancient beast. Slow, deep, rumbling, and it usually leads to cold sweat dripping down my neck. I know I need to find a bathroom or a somewhat sturdy garbage can ASAP."

- demonardvark

Relatable.

"My alarm."

- Cheesestrings89

Some sound advice.

"An advice. Never keep your favorite music or sound as your alarm. It will make you hate that song."

"Unless the opening melody is soft and smooth and not that which just starts booming."

- blastoise327

"Even better: when I was a kid I was gifted an alarm clock that could play different sounds like waterfall or ocean to help you sleep, and you could pick different sounds to wake you up. Well, I picked bird sounds for the alarm and even though I haven't had that alarm clock for years EVERY TIME I hear a bird when I'm sleeping I wake up. Every time. For the rest of my life. Birds. Wake. Me. Up."

- G00dsh0tJans0n

Introverts' worst nightmare.

"'Let's go around and introduce ourselves.'"

- Clarinrin3

"'Tell everyone one interesting fact about yourself.'"

- Iwantitallthensum

Do people use these anymore?

"The landline phone ringing cause it meant a ton of anxiety."

- 234242242342

"Every time that thing rings I always expect a family member to be dead, because only my uncles use it and it's to either tell us a funeral date or to catch up with us."

- Herobrinedanny

A cringeworthy sound for artists.

"A Pencil with an unusable eraser's metal parts scratching against paper."

- hresniuy

"As an artist... I heard this comment... ugh."

- therabbit86ed

The connection to these sounds can really ruin your day. Thankfully, we can commiserate with one another as we all collectively cringe, even at the thought.


"Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here."

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Lynda Carter; Screenshot of Donald Trump
Stephane Cardinale/Corbis via Getty Images; Newsmax

Lynda Carter Hilariously Channels Wonder Woman In Response To Trump's Claim About 'Undetectable' Planes

After President Donald Trump touted the U.S. military's "stealth" planes that he described as "undetectable," Wonder Woman star Lynda Carter responded to his claim with a funny quip sure to delight fans of her iconic character.

Earlier, Trump boasted about the military's capabilities in remarks to reporters in the Oval Office amid heightened concerns about the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict that is sending shockwaves throughout the Middle East and around the world:

Keep ReadingShow less
red flag with pole on seashore
Seoyeon Choi on Unsplash

People Break Down The 'Silent Red Flags' Folks Tend To Ignore In Relationships

A red flag has come to mean any warning sign in life, in addition to the literal red flags that are placed on beaches or industrial sites to warn people of danger.

People will respond to situations by saying, "That’s a red flag." But before that language evolved, they'd just call them "warning signs."

Keep ReadingShow less
Ted Cruz; Tucker Carlson
The Tucker Carlson Show

Tucker Carlson And Ted Cruz Get Into Shouting Match Over Iran In Bonkers Interview Clip

Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz—a harsh Donald Trump critic-turned-MAGA minion—sat down with fired Fox News personality Tucker Carlson for the conservative influencer's self-produced online content,The Tucker Carlson Show, for the Tucker Carlson Network.

On Tuesday, Carlson shared a 1.5-minute clip revealing that things got contentious when the pair touched on the Trump administration's escalating tensions with Iran.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump; Barack Obama
Suzanne Plunkett-Pool/Getty Images; Scott Olson/Getty Images

Resurfaced Trump Tweet Criticizing Obama Over Iran Comes Back To Bite Him

Amid tensions with Iran, President Donald Trump was criticized for hypocrisy after social media users resurfaced a 2013 tweet in which he accused former President Barack Obama of planning an attack on Iran because of his "inability to negotiate properly."

Trump has declined to clarify whether the U.S. is edging closer to launching strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, following a warning from Iran’s supreme leader against any attack and a rejection of Trump’s demand for surrender.

Keep ReadingShow less
​​Elon Musk
Allison Robbert/AFP via Getty Images

Anti-Elon Banner at Stanford

Stanford University graduates were given creative advice from above as an airplane flew over the graduation ceremony with a banner reading, “CONGRATS! DON’T WORK FOR ELON.”

The moment was captured last Sunday during the university’s 134th Commencement ceremony, where the Class of 2025 received their degrees at Stanford Stadium.

Keep ReadingShow less