43 Times People Shared Their Deepest Secrets Online

What's your biggest secret that you've never told anyone? Is it something you could anonymously share on social media? Some brave Redditors opened up about their biggest secrets, unaware of how people would react to them.

Whether someone paid the price for a mistake you made as a teenager or you did something behind closed doors that only you know of, there is always one thing in your life that you believe you cannot share with anyone.

A few people saw posts on Reddit asking them for their deepest, darkest secrets, and they didn't hesitate before spilling the beans. Some netizens shared spine-chilling stories, while others made fellow Redditors laugh with their hilarious secrets.

Comments have been edited for clarity and grammar.

1. What's This Strange Smell?

u/Derpicusss: When I was about six, I was super afraid of the dark like most 6-year-olds. It was late at night, and I needed to use the toilet urgently.

I had an air vent on the floor near my bed. So, obviously, my 6-year-old mind thought it'd be a good idea to urinate in the vent.

My parents never found out, but we're constantly complaining about the urine smell that they couldn't seem to locate. I'm taking this secret to my grave.

2. Mountain Dew

u/Oxi-glo: When I was 11, my friend and I walked to our local swim club in the middle of the night. I picked the lock on the snack bar door, and we broke in. In all, we stole at least two gallons of Mountain Dew.

3. The Cops Arrived at My Place

u/redgallowglass: When I was a kid, one of the windows in my room led right to the garage roof. And since we had no screens, I started climbing onto the garage roof.

Once my parents found out, they added screens. I tried to remove the screens but didn't know how to put them back on, so I left them alone.

Fast forward a few months later, my parents got me a cheap pocketknife that could do little else but slice through cheap fabric. But it could cut through a screen. So, I did that, made it look like I still had a screen, and kept going on the roof. Yay.

Then we went on a trip. It was a cool summer evening when we returned, so Mom opened the windows upstairs. I was hanging out with the dog at the foot of the stairs when my mom called me and asked if I had cut the window screen.

Nope, I denied. I was ready for the "I already knew. I just wanted to see if you would tell me the truth" spiel. Mom frowned and called my dad to go upstairs with her, and then there was silence.

A few minutes later, a cop showed up. She started talking to my parents and investigating. Then, I was called over to speak to the policewoman.

She congratulated me for keeping my window locked because "obviously some kid was trying to break in to have a house party or a burglar."

I was commended for being safe and smart. My parents were proud. I wished I had gotten caught but realized if I spoke up now, there would be nothing of me left to identify after my parents got a hold of me.

Mom checked the locks of all the windows from then on. She always brought it up and said I was a clever girl for always locking my windows.

4. My Hidden Paradise

u/throwaway215091: I was in a dire financial strain two and a half years ago, so I sold my home to keep my struggling business afloat.

I should have told the owners they have an 800 sq. ft. bunker on the property I built about seven years ago. The bunker that I've called home since I sold it.

The entrance is well-hidden, but I still come and go very early/very late in the day. I'm a single man who keeps to himself. I'm now in a situation where I could move somewhere else, but I love this hidden paradise so much.

5. I Don't Care about Work

u/EpicStan123: I don't give my best at work because I don't care anymore. I used to give them 100%, but nobody noticed. They only focused on the small mistakes I made.

Now, I give 40-50%, and my manager keeps bugging me about why my performance has dropped. I simply don't care.

The salary is satisfactory compared to the country's standard, but it is on the lower end of the chart in this field of work. I don't care. I'm overworked and underpaid (by industry standards, not country-wide standards).

6. My Secret Superpower

u/PassmethePepper: I speak two languages, so every time I received a new essay, I would browse the topic in my own language, translate the text word-by-word to English, and then submit it. No one ever caught me for plagiarism before.

7. I Never Told Anyone about This

u/[deleted]: I worked in a crematorium in the late '80s. We had a shelf in the back where we stored cheap plastic urns.

One night, as I was sitting and waiting for one cremation to finish, there was a loud crash that scared me.

When I went back to look, the shelf had collapsed. I scooped the ashes back into the containers but never told anyone about it.

8. Everyone Thinks I Am Dead

u/Tomgoldaccount: I cut off all contact with everyone I know and moved to Kenya. I tell people a fake name and a fake background and have made it appear to my family that I died on a boat trip in the Pacific. No, I am not joking. I am dead in the United States.

9. A Family Secret

u/Glasgow351: I found out I had a half-brother (From Dad), and the only reason I found out about it was because he had leukemia, and they thought I'd be a match for a blood marrow transfusion.

10. I Read My Friend's Diary

u/ThrownAway2389: I once helped a female friend's family by caring for their cat for a week. Every day for a week, I would go over there and snoop around their house.

One day, I found my friend's diary and read everything. I used this information to get her to like me. She is currently my wife.

11. Passing My Engineering Exam

u/engineer-cabbage: I once was involved in a university black market where they handed me past exam papers because our professor never handed out one for us to practice.

I studied them with a friend of mine. A week later, it was the same exam word for word. They had only changed the year.

Since I had memorized the answers by heart, I finished in 45 minutes and pretended to think for two more hours to avoid getting caught. In this way, I got a 95% in an engineering exam with a poker face.

12. My Imaginary Friend

u/rattlesnaker: I still have "imaginary friends," and I'm almost 30. I lost them for a while. I don't know why or how, but they were gone.

I couldn't see or hear them anymore, not how I used to when I was younger. It made me miserable. I kept hoping for a way to get them back.

Two weeks ago, I finally broke through whatever the barrier was. I have spent the past two weeks hanging out with and talking to a character from a well-known TV show.

I can't see him visually, but I can see him with my mind's eye. He goes almost everywhere with me. He's sitting on my bed right now, waiting for me to get off my computer. (I promised I would get off a little while ago, but I had to check Reddit one last time.)

He's been coming to work with me every day for the past two weeks. I share my food with him. (I kind of mentally duplicate it for him since he can't touch it in reality.)

I love it. I'm happy again. Most people would say he isn't real, but something about him is. I don't care. He's real to me.

13. The MP3 Player

u/mangotcha: In high school, I stole the MP3 player of a classmate. I went into the locker room during PE and snatched it.

I didn't steal it because I wanted it or to sell it. I just did it because she was an awful judgmental queen bee, and I wanted to get back at her. People saw me with it in my hands.

So, the next day, I was called into the principal's office. I steadfastly and self-assuredly denied everything. They looked at my bag, then called my parents, who searched my room for the stolen MP3 player.

They never found it, so I was let go. I still got into a fistfight with the girl later, as she knew it was me. To this day, I've never admitted it to anyone. I was that petty.

I still don't feel regret, even though I usually empathize with a fault. My classmate was that awful to others. However, I do recognize it was wrong.

In any case, the MP3 player was buried in my garden as soon as I got home, and this garden is currently a megastore's parking lot. It's the silliest thing. I don't know why I've never admitted to it.

14. Am I Colorblind?

u/[deleted]: I have been pretending to be colorblind to everyone I have ever known, including my parents, since I was in 3rd grade. I am now 28 years old. I even convinced an optometrist of it.

15. My Grandfather's Cousin

u/WatDaFuxRong: My grandpa showed me a picture of a family reunion from the '70s. He pointed out this fat-looking guy and told me it was his cousin from New York.

He said he would attend these reunions and shower everyone with gifts. I googled the name, and it turns out that that guy was in the Mafia and had played a considerable part in a historic moment for organized crime.

16. I Was Pretending

u/FelineOfTheSea: After graduating from high school, I went to a small out-of-state college where no one from high school knew me.

People often told me my false Australian accent was impressive, so I decided it would be great fun to go through college pretending to be from Australia.

All my friends and even my girlfriend of two years think I'm Australian. I have a completely fake Australian identity, family, and past.

I will soon graduate, and I plan on asking the girl to marry me. Everything she knows about me is Australian. I don't know how to tell her she doesn't really know me. I guess I'm forever a bloke.

17. My Secret Feelings

u/Throwaway32165498778: I have a massive crush on my ex's younger sister. We hang out and game almost every week.

We're alike in many ways, but I have no idea how to tell her because of our history, and I'd hate to lose her as a friend.

18. Pillows and Blankets

u/fayuluire: Every night when I go to bed, I have a little pillow and assortment of blankets that I pretend is this girl I like.

She would never like me in real life (in fact, she doesn't), so I just play pretend. It's inherently creepy, but it keeps me from being a total wreck all the time.

19. The Bathroom Was Too Far Away

u/I_Like_Eggs123: When I was a kid, I would often wake up before my parents and slip downstairs to watch some TV.

The only bathroom was upstairs, and I never felt like going back up there and missing my cartoons. We had houseplants behind the TV, so I just urinated in them almost every day.

They eventually died and were replaced by new houseplants. I did the same again. It ultimately became a game for me to see how long it took me to kill them with my urine.

20. A Life-Changing Lie

u/HalfEducated: I faked the last two years of college education. My parents put so much pressure on me I couldn't handle it (I was suffering from severe depression and anxiety), so I faked it all.

I lied to everyone and made up fake transcripts. Thanks to a friend who hired me as a subordinate, I just got my foot in the door in my desired field.

This place only hires college grads, but no one has double-checked my credentials since I was recommended.

I hope that if I need to find another job, I'll have been at this place long enough to get it by experience alone (I work for a very prestigious company).

I'm pretty good at my job, but I fear I'll eventually hit a wall, and the lie will come to light. No one has known this for the better part of a decade. It's a relief to say it "out loud, finally." I can't even tell those I love. My silence is my prison.

21. One of My Habits

u/rikeshrikeshrikesh: I pick my nose and eat it with some regularity. No one knows I do this, including my girlfriend, whom I spend every night with.

It probably wouldn't be all that catastrophic if people found out, but it certainly feels that way to me.

22. My Cousin

u/EponymousTitular: One summer, I fell in love with my cousin when I (M) was 13 and she was 14. During her visit, she kissed me. I said we couldn't do that again, and she agreed.

However, she added that she was glad we kissed at least once. Nothing else physical ever happened between us.

We still see each other sometimes now. And every time we're together, I wish she could've been anybody else's cousin. Just not my cousin. She once told me outright that she wished the same thing.

She brings her husband to family reunions, of course. He and I look alike, have the same hobbies, and share the same sense of humor. But nobody seems to have noticed that she married my clone.

I asked my cousin about that once. She said she really does love him, and she loves her marriage. But she added, "He was the next best thing."

23. The Reason behind My Career Choice

u/memorex987654: After my girlfriend, who was a DJ, dumped me in high school, I started to DJ for the sole purpose of getting back at her. I now play for audiences in the thousands, and nobody knows I do it because I hate that woman.

24. My Feelings for My Wife

u/QuestionMarkPolice: I love my wife dearly, but she's among the least intelligent people I know. She struggles with very, very basic things. Her whole family does.

She's from a small town and was exposed to little by her parents and their simple lifestyle. She has said a few things that maybe some people would find cute for their ignorance, but I get a little more depressed whenever I hear them.

25. Losing Weight

u/TanTanner: I can't tell anyone how I lost weight. I work at a job with 10-hour shifts. It has been great for weekends, but I realized how tired I would be after work a few months into the job. I couldn't work out because of that.

Soon enough, I weighed more than ever in my life. Granted, I'm not overweight by any means, but I thought about it a lot more than before.

I tried dieting, fasting, and running, but those things took a lot of work to maintain with good discipline.

A few months ago, however, I moved into an office with little supervision in a quieter part of the building. It also came with a standing desk.

I noticed others at my workplace closing their office door, which I never really experienced before. But it was excellent for focusing and privacy.

As a result, I brought my noise-canceling headphones to work and have been bumping some nice electronic playlists when my meeting schedule is free.

One day, I discovered lifting my standing desk while listening to music on my headphones to do work. I love dancing at clubs, so you know what comes next.

I've been busting moves for hours on end every day. I'm not talking just sidewall, awkward sways. For minutes, if the song is great, I'll just be a maniac.

It has been amazing as I've never worked out, but if anyone in the office knew, I would be petrified. The horror of imagining that scenario is heart-stopping, but luckily, no one knows yet.

26. Fake Emotions

u/pipboyperks: I feel nothing. Always. Every emotion is faked. The "love" for my wife, the "love" for my kids. The "caring" about my friends. The "effort" I put in at my place of employment as a supervisor. It's all to fit in. It's all a show.

Of course, they all will never know that. Ever. Especially my family. I would never leave them or want them to know my lack of feelings because I know it would crush them. So, every day, I keep on keeping on.

27. Chocolate-Coated Eggs

u/Dr2Minute: I was a fussy eater as a kid and only started experimenting with things outside of my comfort zone in my early teens.

Due to my pre-formed misconceptions, some things took longer for me to try than others. One such example is the Creme Egg.

I could never understand how people enjoyed soft-boiled eggs encased in chocolate. The very thought of it was always revolting to me.

Even just seeing someone eating one turned my stomach. But they were extremely popular, so who was I to argue?

It wasn't until I was sixteen that it finally clicked: Why would anyone put a soft-boiled egg inside chocolate and have it become such a national sensation?

I Googled it (or I may have asked Jeeves back then) and found they had colored fondant to look like an egg and encased it in chocolate. I've never looked back since, and my annual Creme Egg consumption is now out of control.

28. My Great-Uncle Jack

u/[deleted]: My great-uncle Jack used to live with my family. One day, he was intoxicated and had a bad fall that ended up in a bad injury.

I soon found him (I was 14 at the time and had never seen such an awful sight) and lost consciousness after realizing how badly injured he was.

When I eventually regained consciousness, I called the ambulance and stayed with my uncle. He died in the back of the ambulance, holding my hand.

To date, no one knows about what happened to me, and if they did, they would blame me for his death.

29. My Workplace Secret

u/0wlsG0H00t: I work at a grocery store, and every time I'm there for over a year, I steal food or other things I might need.

I wear a backpack daily, so at the end of my shift, I'll take something to the frozen aisle where there aren't any cameras and fill it up.

Other times, I'll just take something off the shelf by putting it in the bin on my cart like it's expired and eat it in my department.

Usually, I just take a salad kit off the shelf for lunch, put it in a store bag, and walk into the break room pretending I had bought it.

I'm nervous about being caught, but the more I get away with stealing, the more I want to do it. Some people at my work even know I always steal and don't care because they steal, too.

30. The Liar

u/Amajiki_Tama: I lie. Like, a lot. Most of the time, it's out of convenience and about things that don't concern other people, but I absolutely lie about bigger things as well.

31. Finding a Boyfriend

u/itsokaytothrowaway99: I think of myself as a slightly attractive in the face (but overweight) and somewhat successful person.

My coworkers love me, and my regular customers greet me by name. They think I'm funny and easy to talk to. But I've really got no real friends.

I have been in two relationships (I'm 20). The last one was a year and a half ago and lasted less than a month. That was the last time I hugged someone.

I just crave real human interaction that isn't tinged with me doing customer service politeness or trying to keep my coworkers happy.

Then I saw a guy. He was tall, with long hair, dark eyes, and a killer jawline—just my type. I was looking through his page when I realized he sold inappropriate photos. I was about to click off when I saw one of his menu options, "Boyfriend Experience."

I did a bit of reading on this and found out it's how it sounds. Someone who will message you throughout the day, call you "baby," and ask how your day went. He might also call occasionally and send selfies or exchange inappropriate photos.

It sounded so lovely. I messaged for more information, and we started crying because it felt so painfully pathetic. I'm considering paying him to be my online boyfriend.

And before anyone suggests. I've tried dating applications. I've been on them for two years (minus the one-month relationship period) with no luck besides almost getting hurt a couple of times.

I live in a rural area and don't connect with the people around me because of them being really southern. I'm also unable to move out at this moment.

32. Reducing Screen Time

u/grassisgreena: I quit Facebook so I would stop wasting time staring at my phone. I now spend more time on Reddit than I ever have on Facebook.

33. My Husband Loves Doing the Laundry

u/Lasybossstager: I secretly put money in my pants pockets so my husband will do the laundry. I put $5 to $10 a week in my clothes.

He doesn't know that he is part of my budget. If I even try to do the laundry, he says, "No, I got it." It is worth every red cent.

34. Faking an Accent

u/butterluna: My heart is pounding writing this because I haven't told anyone about this. I work at this one store on the sales floor, but before all that, I was just one person interviewing for a position at the store.

Before I arrived for my interview, a friend dared me to interview in a British accent. I said I'd do it only if they paid me, and to my surprise, they sent me about $10 through Venmo (which was more than enough for me).

I went into the interview with the mindset that I wouldn't get hired, and they inevitably hired me on the spot.

I was nervous because I had already talked to many higher-ups with the accent and decided to go through with it, thinking it would only be a summer job. I was so wrong.

I've been working there for about seven months and still use the accent. When people ask me where I'm from, I just tell them my hometown because I have several Brits from where I grew up.

The accent hasn't really posed a problem until now because my boyfriend is friends with one of my coworkers, so I would have to find the right time to come clean.

35. My Wife's Mug

u/FinishFine69: My wife has a ceramic mug that she uses every day to drink water. As long as I've known her, she has used the same cup.

Five years ago, I found the same mug on eBay shortly after we moved in together. That replacement mug sits in a box at my office, just in case the day comes when I accidentally break the original.

36. The Caring Child

u/Azalis: When I was going to school, we were really poor. My mom would regularly be in tears about bills.

I used to sneak my lunch money back into their possession by hiding it in laundry, jackets, cars, or her purse. They were always so happy and relieved to find extra cash they thought they had forgotten.

37. The Supermarket Hack

u/goatsofwrath_v2: I used to put croissants through the self-service as bread rolls. They weigh roughly the same, so it didn't get me into trouble.

In this way, I bought them for half the price. Peppers still get weighed as onions. Come and get me, supermarkets!

38. I Care about My Popularity

u/[deleted]: I'm terrified by how much other people's approval motivates me. I try to play it cool, but I care about popularity more than your average high school student probably does. I'm 30. I'm also absolutely obsessed with the idea that I'm homely, and I fantasize about being beautiful.

39. The Family Man

u/Ng07605: It terrifies me to think about how completely and utterly lost I would be without my wife and daughter.

Almost to the point where I'm worried my existence is totally defined by my need to be a husband and father. In that sense, I'm also scared that I have nothing to offer the world besides being a family man.

40. Pretending to Be Dumb

u/indebut96: For context, I used to manage a cafe for years. There were people we would hire who would be good at their jobs, but I wouldn't rely on them for major things.

When I quit there, I thought, "Why can't I just be a little dumber and work with less integrity." And so I did precisely that.

I've been slightly late almost every day, and I keep "forgetting" things happening during the week. I ask how to do the same simple things over and over.

Nobody asks me to do any extra stuff, and I believe that's because they think I am dumb. It has been fantastic. I love it.

At my previous workplace, they always said, "We're so happy to have you on our team! You're a great asset!" However, I never got a bonus or a substantial raise.

At my new job, I'm making more than ever and doing 25% of the work I used to do. Pretend to be dumb, folks. It's great.

41. I Feel Heartbroken

u/Torntrust2323: My fiancée and I have been together for five years. Every year, she goes on this girls-only trip with her close friends.

Something in my gut had been bothering me about these trips. Maybe it was the slight changes in her behavior afterward or the cryptic conversations I'd overhear.

Instead of directly confronting her, I did something I'm deeply ashamed of. I hired a private investigator to watch her during her recent trip.

I received the results a few days ago, and as much as I regret violating her privacy, my suspicions were not unfounded. The PI presented evidence of her being unfaithful. It shattered my heart.

Now, I'm caught in this storm of emotions. On one hand, I deeply regret snooping and not trusting her enough to talk about it.

On the other, the betrayal from her side feels even more significant. I love her, but I can't see a future together anymore.

42. My Daughter's Personalities

u/chaos-insued: I never thought I'd say those words, but I also never thought I'd give birth to a psychopath, either. She isn't a teenager yet, and I'm terrified of her. She is the devil.

She has manipulated everyone outside our family into believing she is sweet, kind-hearted, and polite.

I'm constantly getting complimented on her manners and how she looks out for the younger kids at school. But at home, she is an entirely different person.

My husband, younger daughter, and I live in constant fear of her. Asking her to do something as simple as bring her dirty dishes from the dining room to the kitchen can result in hours of her screaming at us, insulting us, and throwing things at us.

She has been this way since she was a toddler. We've taken her to doctors and gotten nowhere because she flips the switch, and they see the mask she presents to the public.

All I want to do is take my younger daughter and run. If I could leave right now, I would. I've looked into admitting her to psych wards. I've looked at surrendering her. I've even considered giving up my other daughter to protect her from her sister.

It is 3:00 in the morning, and she has been fighting for 6 hours because I told her to take her garbage (2 items) to the kitchen.

I dread vacations, weekends, and breaks from school because then she'll be at home, and we will all be walking on eggshells, waiting for her to explode.

I'm incapable of loving her anymore because of how she treats us. When I look at her, all I see is a monster and the worst, meanest, most vicious bully I've ever met.

43. My Secret Pregnancy Craving

u/amanda86027: I was eight months pregnant when I had this insane craving for chocolate cake, so I bought one.

As soon as I got in the car, I knew I couldn't wait to get home. I got the cake and sat in the backseat so no one would see me.

Over there, I sat eating an entire family-size chocolate cake with my hands. I don't know what came over me. This happened almost a year ago, but I haven't told another soul about it.

These online confessions ranged from serious, deep secrets to funny moments that these Redditors had never shared with anyone.

They were brave enough to open up on the internet, where thousands of people read their confessions and expressed their views in the comments section.

Do you have similar secrets that you haven't shared with anyone yet? Are they like the ones you read here? Do you think you are ready to share them online anonymously? We would love to know about your thoughts on this topic.