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WE ALL HAVE AT least one sound that is guaranteed to make us uneasy – a bone-chilling noise that sets our teeth on edge.
Here are nine of the most shiver-inducing sounds we experience in our daily lives, ranked by shiver factor.
Apologies in advance for the shudders and grimaces you will inevitably do throughout this post.
Tinfoil
The tinkling sound of tinfoil is sometimes very nice, but the noise of a large sheet rattling around gives us low-level creeps. And don’t do it around cats. They’ll hate you.
Why are you scratching away like that? JUST SHARPEN IT. You’re torturing the rest of us.
Shutterstock
Shutterstock
Shiver factor: 4
The scraping of cutlery on a plate
Worse still when someone can’t hear the high pitched squeaks themselves, and continue to allow their knives and forks to sing the song of their people on the dinner plate. STOP.
This sound haunts many of us from childhood. You can use cotton wool without any harrowing incidents, sure, but if you accidentally tear off a piece… Shudder.
Picking up a chair and pulling it out properly is a bit of effort, but it’s worth it to avoid the almighty screeeeeeeeeech of chair legs against a tile or wooden floor.
This one affects some people more than others – a few might openly wince at the sounds of knuckles being cracked, but everyone will grimace upon hearing an elbow or a knee pop.
Shutterstock
Shutterstock
Shiver level: 6
Styrofoam
The horror of the Styrofoam noise has many levels.
It’s bad enough hearing your own fingers holding a Styrofoam cup, or your teeth clashing against the rim.
This is the worst. The absolute worst. The sound differs from person to person – some pop, some click, others clunk – but each sound inspires the same godawful heebie-jeebies.
Thursday 14 November, 2024
Thursday 14 November, 2024
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The 9 most horribly shiver-inducing sounds
WE ALL HAVE AT least one sound that is guaranteed to make us uneasy – a bone-chilling noise that sets our teeth on edge.
Here are nine of the most shiver-inducing sounds we experience in our daily lives, ranked by shiver factor.
Apologies in advance for the shudders and grimaces you will inevitably do throughout this post.
Tinfoil
The tinkling sound of tinfoil is sometimes very nice, but the noise of a large sheet rattling around gives us low-level creeps. And don’t do it around cats. They’ll hate you.
Shiver factor: 2
Speaker feedback
Oh, what a lovely song! This band is gre-AAARRRGHH. What’s happening?! How could something so beautiful turn ugly so quickly?
Shiver factor: 3
Blunt pencil scratching on paper
Why are you scratching away like that? JUST SHARPEN IT. You’re torturing the rest of us.
Shiver factor: 4
The scraping of cutlery on a plate
Worse still when someone can’t hear the high pitched squeaks themselves, and continue to allow their knives and forks to sing the song of their people on the dinner plate. STOP.
Shiver factor: 5
The squeak of cotton wool
This sound haunts many of us from childhood. You can use cotton wool without any harrowing incidents, sure, but if you accidentally tear off a piece… Shudder.
Shiver factor: 6
A chair being pulled out loudly
Picking up a chair and pulling it out properly is a bit of effort, but it’s worth it to avoid the almighty screeeeeeeeeech of chair legs against a tile or wooden floor.
Shiver level: 7
Joints cracking
This one affects some people more than others – a few might openly wince at the sounds of knuckles being cracked, but everyone will grimace upon hearing an elbow or a knee pop.
Shiver level: 6
Styrofoam
The horror of the Styrofoam noise has many levels.
It’s bad enough hearing your own fingers holding a Styrofoam cup, or your teeth clashing against the rim.
But having to endure the sound of a plastic fork or spoon grinding around inside the cup is probably what hell sounds like. All the time.
DAAARRRGH. Stop that.
Shiver level: 9
Someone grinding their teeth
This is the worst. The absolute worst. The sound differs from person to person – some pop, some click, others clunk – but each sound inspires the same godawful heebie-jeebies.
INVEST IN A MOUTH GUARD AND LET US LIVE.
Shiver level: 10
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blunt pencils Chairs cotton wool cutlery grinding teeth horrible noises noises Shivers sounding off Sounds styrofoam tinfoil