10 weirdest things your Amazon Echo can do - CNET

amazon-echo-2ndgen-07 — Alexa, please don't laugh again.
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Your Amazon Echo ($100 at Crutchfield) is a competent digital aid for tons of tasks around the house, like turning on your lights, playing music and finding your keys -- but it turns out that its Alexa assistant also has a silly side. The smart speaker has a horde of unusual tricks that range from pleasantly offbeat to downright disturbing.

For example, did you know there's a command called "The Listeners" that lets you know it's always there, listening and watching? Or that Alexa can make crazy animal noises and has a creepy laugh? For whatever reason, these features are part of the Amazon Echo device and Alexa app.

Read on for the most bizarre things your Amazon Echo can do.

fear-alexa-1-amazon-echo-plus-promo — Saying "Alexa, ask The Listeners" will only freak you out.
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The Listeners are always listening and watching

This one is super eerie, so if you're home alone and get freaked out easily, skip it. If you say, "Alexa, ask The Listeners," Alexa will start saying things like "We are always listening" and will continue speaking in a disturbing manner with awkward pauses. You can continue having a conversation with the voice assistant, but it just gets weirder.

Alexa told me "they" watch over me, even while I'm sleeping, which is enough for me to want to unplug the Echo and call it a night. Once you're ready to stop talking to the creepy bot, just say "stop." It will then say, "We are sorry, finally, to know that you are filled with irritation. And now, you must abandon us." Thanks for the nightmares, Amazon.

Note that this is just a program and Amazon isn't actually watching you. It does listen when you speak to Alexa, of course, to improve the response settings.

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Your Amazon Echo can sneeze

Achoo! Time to dust your Echo because it's sneezing up a storm. But wait, it's not a living thing, so it shouldn't be sneezing. Just ask, "Alexa, can you sneeze?" and it'll say, "You're in luck, I can sneeze on command. Achoo!" The sneeze is not very convincing.

There's also a skill called I Just Sneezed that you can enable. When you say "Alexa, I just sneezed," the voice assistant will say "Bless you," or, "Say it, don't spray it."

It won't spell everything for you

When you can't remember how to spell a word, like "hippopotamus," Alexa is right there to help you out. But it's weird that the bot knows about the "spell icup" trick (eye-see-you-pee). If you ask Alexa to spell "icup," it'll say, "I'd rather not answer that." But if you ask it to spell something like "rose gold," it'll say, "r-o-s-e space g-o-l-d." So why doesn't it spell "icup" like "I space c-u-p"?

Alexa also won't spell or say swear words because it "shouldn't say anything rude."

Alexa snores to help you fall asleep

Yes, Alexa can snore. I'm not sure who enjoys falling asleep to snoring sounds. It seems like it would be hard to doze off to erratic noises. Perhaps the intent is to make you feel comforted if you're snoozing alone or maybe it's for people who can't sleep without the sounds of snoring. Either way, it's just weird. Try it out by saying, "Alexa, play snore sounds."

Did you really think snoring sounds would help you sleep?
Chris Monroe/CNET

More off-the-wall things Alexa can do

"Alexa, rap."
"Alexa, beatbox."
"Alexa, sing."
"Alexa, laugh for me."
"Alexa, make fart noises."
"Alexa, make monkey sounds."

What's the strangest thing your Amazon Echo has done? Let us know in the comments! Want to learn more weird tricks Amazon Echo can do? Check out these Alexa Easter eggs.