10+ Awkward Moments People Wish They Could Erase From Existence

Many had those moments — the kind that make your stomach drop, your cheeks flush, and your brain scream, “Did that really just happen?” Sometimes it’s a slip of the tongue, a mistimed joke, or an accidental text to the wrong person.

• I was standing in line at Walmart when the guy in front of me dropped something on the ground. I didn’t see what it was, but I wanted to help, so I bent down to pick it up. That’s when I saw that he had dropped his false teeth.
  I froze in place, thinking he might not want me touching his teeth. Then I thought it would be rude to just leave them there and tried reaching out again. In the end, he just snatched them on and moved forward. I have never been so embarrassed in my life.

• I had just started a new job as a registered sales assistant at a major firm. My supervisor handed me a client’s statement and told me to liquidate the holdings...not noticing some of the holdings were highlighted, I proceeded to liquidate the entire account instead of about 25% of it. Worst part, I didn’t realize it until she came over and asked me what I was doing! © fake-august / Reddit

• Just yesterday I was coming home from the pre-dinner walk with my husky, I got to my door and I shuffled the order of operations... I unclasped his leash then pulled out my keys to open my door, turned around and my boy was gone. Spend 20 minutes playing what seemed like a fun game of tag for him, but was incredibly scary for me because he was weaving across busy roads. © sjbennett85 / Reddit

• When I was in college and my dad lived in DC, he bought me a plane ticket to go visit him. I went to Texas A&M, so the closest major city was Houston, and I’d never flown out of there before. So I arrive at the airport about an hour and a half before my flight, and I can’t find the check in for Southwest Airlines.
  So I asked an airport employee, and he gave me this look like “Dude, please tell me you’re not being serious right now.” I was at IAH and Southwest only flies out of Hobby, which is all the way on the other side of Houston, and it was rush hour. I did not make the flight. © ice-eight / Reddit

• This is pushing 25 years ago, but I can’t unsee it. It happened to my best friend. A bunch of us were walking home and decided to do the dukes of hazard slide across a parked car. Stupid yes. Immature yes.
  My friend slides, but it’s too dry, so he stops and spins on the hood so that he’s looking directly into the windshield. Directly at the driver, who is zipping up his pants, and passenger. I’ve never seen bigger deer in headlights eyes from two people at the same time in my life. © Franchise088 / Reddit

• When I lived in Texas, I was working in the yard, wearing shorts, and knelt down right onto a fire ant mound. Once I felt the bites, I did the fire ant dance and then got the hose to wash them off. Not too many bites, so it was a win.
  Then a few minutes later, I did it again. The ants had not settled down from the first time, and went at me with a vengeance. My knee was swollen for a few days, and itched like mad. © afcagroo / Reddit

• When the fire alarm went off at work, everyone was filing out. When we hit the corridor outside the elevators, everyone sort of bunched up. I’d been talking to a co-worker, and when I saw a hand dart out from behind me, I assumed it was his.
  I said, very loudly, “You can’t use the elevator in an emergency!” It wasn’t him, it was the CEO (who was trying to use the elevator). © geminitiger74 / Reddit

• I told my professor in a communication class that the book we’re using was wrong and outdated. Her husband wrote the book. © Kdog122025 / Reddit

• I was in college and late for class. It was one of those big lectures in an auditorium, so I figure, I’ll just sidle in and stand at the back, so I don’t disturb anyone.
  It was an art history class; the lights were off, so the prof could show us stuff on the projector. I slip in, press myself up against the back wall, and suddenly it’s bright as day in the room. I thought it was just a coincidence, but then someone noticed I was leaning on a light switch. © OkSecretary1231 / Reddit

• My cousin announced her first pregnancy on the family WhatsApp group and when I looked for an appropriate GIF, WhatsApp offered a history and my finger slipped onto the throwing up face. © Rackfaell / Reddit
  

• Back in college, I was flirting with a girl who invited me to her dorm. I wasn’t allowed there after 10, but I stayed late. To sneak out, I dressed in black and covered my face.
  I tried to go out the door, but it was locked, so like a ninja I went through the window. As stealthy as I could be, I made my way across the campus to get to my own dorm, hoping I wouldn’t get caught.
  When I got back, the security guard was laughing. I thought it was because my face was still covered. But that wasn’t it. Turns out the entire security team had been watching me on the cameras and decided it was too funny to ignore, that’s why I didn’t get tasered.

• It was our senior trip, and we were taking a bus three hours upstate from school. I fell asleep, and I woke up to some laughter and pointing. I saw that the entire top part of my jeans was drenched. Yup, everyone said I had wet myself.
  I was so embarrassed and couldn’t really do anything about it since there wasn’t a bathroom. It wasn’t until 3 days later on our bus ride back when people told me that some kid had just poured water all over my jeans without me waking up. © hinduguru / Reddit

• I moved out of state when I turned 18 and moved back 6 years later and when I was in a coffee shop I encountered a woman that looked similar to a girl I knew when I was 16.
  I asked, “Hey, do you have a daughter named (X).” She gave me the coldest look I have ever received and said, “My name is (girl’s name)...” That was 25 years ago and I still cringe thinking about it. © desrever1138 / Reddit

Whether it was a harmless misunderstanding or a full-fledged disaster, these cringe-inducing moments serve as a reminder that we’re all human — awkward, imperfect, and occasionally mortified. If you’ve ever wanted the earth to open up and swallow you whole, just know you’re in good company.