Audiologist Weighs In On 'Yanny Vs. Laurel' Debate

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- It is the biggest internet debate since the infamous black and blue -- or white and gold -- dress of 2015.

Do you hear Laurel or Yanny?

"It's complicated," said Dr. David Geddes, an audiologist at Health Partners.

He says one theory for the two words is auditory perception. There are variations in how we each perceive sound.

"If somebody is color blind, it's not that they don't see blue, it's when they look at blue they perceive it as a different color," Geddes said. "When somebody hears the 'L' in Laurel, they hear something different."

Also, our ears may pick up different higher or lower frequencies, and the frequencies from the audio clip could be altered depending if you are listening on a laptop, headphones or a phone.

This could explain why one person can hear Laurel one time, and Yanny another.

Geddes heard Yanny -- but is there a right answer?

"I don't think there's a right or wrong answer to this," Geddes said.

Sorry Yanny fans, but the original recording from Vocabulary.com is listed as the pronunciation for the word "Laurel."