What word are YOU hearing in this viral TikTok audio illusion? Expert explains what it means

A VIRAL video has left TikTok users stunned as listeners can hear completely different words.

It doesn’t make sense – but an expert has explained the science behind the audio illusion.

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The viral clip, shared across multiple platforms and profiles, prompts viewers to read either the words “Brainstorm” or “Green Needle” on the screen as the audio plays.

Oddly enough, when the audio is repeated, the reader only hears the word they are reading.

You can switch between the two words and hear both clearly depending on which one you’re looking at.

The TikTok is reminiscent of another viral clip that caused mass confusion back in 2020.

In this clip, some people heard the word “Yanny” while others heard “Laurel.”

Turns out the audio actually said “Laurel,” as confirmed by the actor doing the voiceover.

But it’s not yet clear whether the voice in the new clip meant “Green Needle” or “Brainstorm” – likely the latter, since it’s a legitimate term.

So how do these mind tricks work that have made people question their own reality and even trust their sense of hearing?

Katie Ogden, audiologist and trainer at hearing aid supplier ReSound North West Europe, explained the phenomenon.

She said the brain essentially fills in “missing gaps” with low-quality audio – suggesting this also happens on a daily basis.

Katie said: “The audio in the clip is of relatively low quality so you don’t actually hear any of the words in the audio, your brain – in fact – fills in the missing gaps for you.

“Examples like this viral sensation help further prove the incredible wonders of the sense of hearing and its connection to the brain.”

Katie said it might seem “completely confusing” that two separate words with completely different sounds can both be heard by the brain.

“Your brain receives the sounds through your ear canal and tries to convert the chaotic signals into something meaningful and meaningful, which is why you hear something very specific and defined every time the audio is played,” Katie said.

“Your brain is primed to expect a specific acoustic pattern based on what word you happen to be looking at and digesting while the audio is playing.”

Katie said if you feel like you’re concerned about your hearing, take this simple online hearing test.

It can help identify in just three minutes if you are having trouble understanding speech in noise.

It comes after we revealed this optical illusion can indicate if you’re feeling trapped in life based on what you’re looking at.

And whoever can spot the animal in this field within seven seconds belongs to the top one percent of the viewers.