65 Pet Peeves That Get Under Our Skin (And How to Know If You're Accidentally Doing Them)

A pet peeve is something — anything — that annoys you. This includes bad habits, loud noises, inconsiderate behaviors from others — you name it. At best, these pet peeves can be small annoyances that you can ignore. But at worst, pet peeves can seriously derail your productivity and workday. 

Below are 65 incredibly annoying pet peeves which we're sure you can also relate to.

65 skin-crawling pet peeves

Count how many of the pet peeves below get on your nerves, and let us know in the comments!

1. When people misspell your name, especially when it's right there
2. Micro-managy bosses...
3. ...who are younger or less experienced than you
4. Traffic jams — ghktybfjf!
5. When someone grabs food from your plate without asking
6. Or, when they ask for a bite before you've even had one
7. Having to click out of excessive ads on an online article
8. Super-duper picky eaters
9. When people use a second seat for their bags and belongings
10. When people speak or argue out of ignorance — this one deserves an eye roll
11. Loud chewing — eek!
12. Loud gum smacking, too
13. People who chew with their mouth open — yuck
14. Running out of toilet paper when you need it the most...
15. People who are always late — or waiting on someone who then makes you late
16. Walking into a cloud of cigarette smoke
17. When people text and drive — this one's self-explanatory
18. Laying next to someone who snores 
19. When people say "literally," "essentially" or "basically" way too often
20. Smelly food in confined spaces 
21. People who listen to loud music in public places
22. Interacting with someone who wants to argue
23. When someones says something publicly that you specifically told them not to say — eye twitch
24. Messing up your nails right after you get them done
25. The sound and feel of chalk — gahhh!
26. When someone cancels plans you didn't even want to be a part of, after you've already gotten ready for them!
27. People who don't wash their hands after they use the bathroom — straight up gross
28. Group chats — and the notification that says you've just left, because so much for laying low!
29. When people cut you in line
30. Wanting to use your phone or laptop and there being no service or WiFi
31. When people meander down a busy sidewalk — move it!
32. The saying "boys will be boys" because let it go, already!
33. When people bite their nails or pick their skin... then touch things
34. Pushy salespeople at the mall (not interested in the hair iron, but thank you!)
35. When people litter — and the trash can's right there!
36. People who interrupt you or others when speaking
37. When people talk during a movie — shhh!
38. People who swear by their colorblindness (newsflash: if you don't see color, then you don't see people!)
39. Being left on read — especially when you can see the receipts!
40. Waking up to someone else's alarm... then waking up again because they'd snoozed it the first time — face palm
41. Slow drivers and highway racers, alike
42. People who excessively take pictures or record every moment 
43. Shipping charges that are way too close to $10 (or worse, above!)
44. When people walk up or down the wrong side of the staircase
45. The word "moist" — just cause
46. People who don't cover their mouth when they sneeze or cough
47. Opening the door for someone who doesn't thank you
48. When people say "You should've just come" making you want to reply, "I ShoUlD'vE jUsT bEeN iNvItEd"
49. "New year, new me" social media posts
50. When people say "like" or "um" so much, you can't hear anything else
51. Public displays of affection — get a room!
52. Passive aggression (especially at work)
53. When people say "No offense, but..." then proceed to offend you
54. People who say "liked-ed"
55. Or, "looked-ed"
56. When people drag their feet as they're walking
57. Trying — and failing — to pick up anything with acrylic nails 
58. Trendy diets (I'm rolling my eyes so hard right now)
59. People who start a chat with you when your headphones are clearly on
60. People who get in the way of shopping racks or aisles
61. "There" when it's "their," or "their" when it's "they're"
62. When people use the word "hate" but really mean "dislike"
63. Children crying — or worse, screaming — in public places
64. When people constantly call you by the wrong name or pronoun
65. And mosquitoes. Those bloody mosquitoes.

How to resolve your pet peeves

There are a number of ways to resolve — or at least cope with — your pet peeves. Start by addressing them. If the pet peeve is coming from someone you know, you can let them know that a certain word or behavior gives you the shivers. You can take a formal approach by saying, "[Said behavior] really peeves me. Can you maybe [insert alternative] instead?" Or, you can take a more humorous approach by saying, "Gahhh, [said behavior] really makes me cringe!" (Do a lil' shimmy for added effect.) 

If you don't want to address your pet peeve head-on, you can remove yourself from a situation that'll expose you to those peeves, or plan ahead. For example, you can get noise-canceling headphones to block out the wails of a crying baby, or you can decline an invitation from that one friend who's always late or cancels.

And above all, understand that most of the peeves on this list — and at all — are not to be taken personally. Some people are simply unaware of their annoying behavior and some circumstances are completely out of anyone's control. The power of the peeve doesn't lie in the peever, but in the peeved themselves. So, by changing how you react to what bothers you, you can potentially turn your whole attitude around.

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This article reflects the views of the author and not necessarily those of Fairygodboss.

Stephanie Nieves was formerly the SEO & Editorial Associate at Fairygodboss. Her words can also be found on Medium, PayScale and The Muse.

What’s your no. 1 piece of advice for dealing with pet peeves at work? Share your answer in the comments to help other Fairygodboss members!