What are the Top 10 Most Annoying Sounds?

Last Updated on: October 15th, 2023

What are the Top 10 Most Annoying Sounds?



We all have a specific sound that we just can’t stand to listen to. With me, it is excessive stirring and slurping of drinks. OK, that’s probably two noises, but the combo drives me nuts. Chances are, that the noises that drive you insane are the same for others. There is actually a scientific explanation for this.

According to a report in the Journal of Neuroscience, researchers actually tested to see what the most annoying sounds were and why they annoyed us so much.

Here are the 10 most annoying sounds based on the study. You can find the scientific explanation for why these sounds drive us crazy in this WebMD article.

(click on a sound to hear it)

4. Ruler on a bottle 

There you have it: a scientifically-backed listing of the 10 most annoying sounds. Is your least favorite sound on this list? Leave a comment below and let us know what you can’t stand to hear!Image credit: Corey Leopold via flickr

Please note that some of these numbers are easier to find than others. Most of these fun facts come from internet reports and may not be official tallies. No information contained on DMR should be relied upon to make investment decisions. Basically, this is the best I can find and I don’t guarantee anything to be 100%.