Even inexpensive earbuds can be very effective at blocking out noise, especially when combined with music. But they have to fit snugly and make a seal with you

Even inexpensive earbuds can be very effective at blocking out noise, especially when combined with music. But they have to fit snugly and make a seal with your ear. The ones with silicone tips or those squishy foam tips are most effective. Wearing earbuds all the time was causing me ear problems, though, so I switched to over-ear noise-canceling headphones. Because I wear glasses, I couldn't get the ones that basically form a seal over your ear. The noise-cancellation, especially when combined with instrumental music or white noise, is very effective for stuff like construction and traffic and engine and air conditioner noise. But it makes human voices more instead of less distinct, so in the office I usually disable the noise cancellation and just play music.