White noise vs pink noise
One step apart on the scale: flat against a gentle roll-off. Switch between them below and keep whichever you stop noticing first — that is the one that is working.
Layers — mix as many as you like
Tap a second sound to layer it — rain under brown noise, for instance.
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Side by side
| White noise | Pink noise | |
|---|---|---|
| Spectrum | Flat — equal power at every frequency | Falls 3 dB per octave |
| Sounds like | Radio static, a bright hiss | Steady rain, wind in leaves |
| Masks best | The widest range, including voices | A balance of high and low |
| Across eight hours | Can start to feel sharp | Usually comfortable |
| Research | Studied for masking | The colour most studied for sleep |
The short version
These two are adjacent on the scale, and pink is essentially white noise with the treble eased back by 3 decibels per octave. That single change is why pink is so often described as more natural: it lines up with the spectrum of steady rain and wind, while white noise's flat spectrum has no equivalent in nature. If pink still sounds too bright, the next step down is brown noise.
Questions
Is pink noise better than white noise for sleep?
Most people find pink noise more comfortable over a full night, because it carries less energy in the range where hearing is sharpest. White noise masks a slightly wider range of sounds, which matters if voices or higher-pitched noise are the problem. Neither has been shown to beat the other for sleep in general.
What is the difference between white and pink noise?
White noise has equal power at every frequency, so its spectrum is flat. Pink noise loses 3 decibels per octave as pitch rises, giving equal energy in each octave instead. Because human hearing is more sensitive at higher frequencies, the sloped pink spectrum is actually perceived as the flatter, more even of the two.
Which one sounds more natural?
Pink, by a wide margin. Steady rain, wind through trees and flowing water all have roughly pink spectra, so the sound is familiar even if the name is not. White noise sounds engineered because, in nature, it essentially is not found.
Every colour of noise
White noise
Equal power at every frequency — the bright hiss that masks almost anything.
Play white noise →Brown noise
Deep and low, like a distant waterfall. The most popular colour for sleeping.
Play brown noise →Green noise
Mid-range noise, often described as the background sound of open countryside.
Play green noise →Pink noise
The middle ground: softer than white, brighter than brown. Close to steady rain.
Play pink noise →Blue noise
The mirror of pink: energy rises with pitch, giving a bright, airy hiss.
Play blue noise →Grey noise
Shaped so every frequency sounds equally loud, rather than measuring equally loud.
Play grey noise →Violet noise
The mirror of brown: rises 6 dB per octave into a thin, piercing hiss.
Play violet noise →Black noise
Effectively silence, with almost all energy below what you can hear.
Play black noise →Beyond the colours
Not noise colours in the strict sense, but built from them — and useful for the same reason.
Rain
Steady rainfall with the patter on top — the most requested sleep sound there is.
Play rain →Fan
A box fan running in the corner, without the draught or the electricity bill.
Play fan →Ocean
Slow waves arriving and drawing back, roughly ten to a minute.
Play ocean →Thunderstorm
Rain with distant thunder rolling through at irregular intervals.
Play thunderstorm →