# Yanny or Laurel

> An ambiguous pronunciation clip passed 12.1 million Twitter views during the debate.

- Owner: null
- Kind: Meme & format
- Sector: Culture (no sector)
- Seed date: 2018-05-11
- Peak date: 2018-05-16
- Spread Score: 48 (Notable), v1.2
- Mechanics: Platform jump, Press loop

## Summary

A student shared an ambiguous audio recording on Instagram. It moved through Reddit and Twitter, then prompted news explainers and a White House response.

## Timeline

- 2018-05-11 — Katie Hetzel (Instagram) — Katie Hetzel shared a recording of a pronunciation clip in an Instagram story.
- 2018-05-12 — RolandCamry (Reddit) — RolandCamry posted the clip to Reddit's blackmagicfuckery community.
- 2018-05-15 — Cloe Feldman (X) — Cloe Feldman's Twitter post brought the listening question to a larger audience.

The full timeline, metrics and sources are on the case page, or via the Pro API (https://howitspread.com/developers).

Canonical URL: https://howitspread.com/cases/yanny-or-laurel

Cite as: How It Spread (2026). “Yanny or Laurel.” Case HIS-01070. Spread Score v1.2: 48/100. Updated 2026-10-17. https://howitspread.com/id/HIS-01070