People can't hear what I'm saying with a mask on

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When I talk to a shop assistant or something and I'm wearing a mask, they can never hear what I'm saying. I've had to repeat myself 5 times once and it was embarrassing as well as annoying. It's like they hear other words. For example in a shoe shop once it went like this:-

Me: Can I get these shoes in size 5 please?
Shop assistant: Yes, I'm sorry I didn't hear, what size did you say?
Me: Five
Shop assistant: Size?
Me: Five
Shop assistant: Size, please?
Me: Five
*Shop assistant stares at me confused so I held 5 fingers up and she said "oh, 5" and went to get me a size 5 pair of shoes.

It seemed my mask only made the vowel audible, like all she heard was "i", so she thought I was saying "size" and not understanding the question or something. I don't have a speech impediment but wearing a mask somehow distorts my speech making it sound like I have a speech impediment.

Anyone else have this issue when talking to people when wearing a face mask? It's a good thing I don't work in retail or a hospital where you have to wear a face mask all day while interacting with people because it will just sound like the deaf talking to the deaf.

This has happened to me as well. Its usually in supermarkets at the checkout. I talk quite loud anyway because the shop always seems loud.

It happened to me the other way round yesterday actually in Primark. I was at the checkout with my mask and the checkout woman also had a mask on. She asked me something and I couldn't make out what she said. I was just gonna pretend I heard and say "no" because I knew she would be just offering me something I didn't want but instead I asked her to repeat herself. I got the feeling she had been asked to repeat herself quite a lot because she seemed a bit peeved at having to ask me the same question again. I still said "no" because I was right with my assumption that she was just trying to offer me something I didn't want.

I thought it was my mask that was making me deaf but it must have been her mask making her inaudible.

They make masks with transparent material so someone can read your lips (sign language)

Otherwise you could write it down

Precious lil "people" act like every thought and emotion that goes through their head is the latest greatest scientific invention. They flap their traps too enthusiastically. Then when I try to say the slightest thing, they half listen and grunt "huh" and "what" like they are the etiquette equivalent of "excuse me"


Precious lil "people" have freedom of speech

Annoying ghetto lil thugs


They expect me to believe whatever they tell me

Then when I say something they interrogate and cross examine me



Precious lil "people" have a right to be annoying



My worthless corpse constantly outnumbered overpowered outsmarted


Vocal cord damage


Precious lil "people" talk so loud and their noise pollution hurts my ears

I have that problem as well. I just chalk it up to the nasal nature of my accent.