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Roland Szabo Started The Yanny or Laurel Debate

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Who knew that an 18-year-old high school student from Georgia would divide the entire internet and become a viral sensation over something as crazy as whether or not we are hearing what we think we’re hearing? Roland Szabo is the culprit of the Yanny or Laurel debacle that all started with a clip posted on Reddit.

After a friend discovered an audio recording on vocabulary.com of someone pronouncing the word “Laurel” in a way that also sounded like “Yanny,” Szabo took matters into his own hands and posted the clip on Reddit, thinking it wouldn’t get much attention. Instead, it quickly garnered more than 3,000 upvotes within three days, becoming a viral sensation comparable to The Dress situation.