Tongue Twisters in English
Tongue Twisters help you speak better and boost your repertoire of exciting and fun-sounding words.They can also help to improve accents by using alliteration, which is the repetition of one sound. They’re not just for kids, but are also used by actors, politicians, and public speakers who want to sound clear when speaking.Remember:
it's not just how fast you say them, but how clearly too!
There are thousands of tongue twisters out there - here is a collection of some (short, long and small poems), whose text makes some sense, and which can also be used to speak more clearly.
Black And Brown Background:
Black background, brown background,
Brown background, black background,
Background background, black, black, brown, brown.
Peter Piper:
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers
A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers
Where’s the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?
Betty Botter bought some butter:
Betty Botter bought some butter
But she said the butter’s bitter
If I put it in my batter, it will make my batter bitter.
But a bit of better butter will make my batter better.
So ‘twas better Betty Botter bought a bit of better butter.
Ned Nott and Sam Shott:
Ned Nott was shot and Sam Shott was not.
So it is better to be Shott than Nott.
Some say Nott was not shot.
But Shott says he shot Nott.
Either the shot Shott shot at Nott was not shot,
Or Nott was shot.
If the shot Shott shot shot Nott, Nott was shot.
But if the shot Shott shot shot Shott,
Then Shott was shot, not Nott.
However, the shot Shott shot shot not Shott, but Nott.
Wood Chuck:
How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
He would chuck, he would, as much as he could, and chuck as much wood
As a woodchuck would if a woodchuck could chuck wood
Why Willy?!
Why do you cry, Willy?
Why, Willy?
Why, why, why?!
Why do you cry?
Willy, Willy!
Willy cry, why you cry, Willy?
She Sells:
She sells seashells on the seashore.
The shells she sells are seashells, I’m sure.
And if she sells seashells on the seashore,
Then I’m sure she sells seashore shells.
Chester Cheetah
Chester cheetah chews a chunk of cheap cheddar cheese
If the chunk of cheese chunked Chester cheetah,
What would Chester cheetah chew and chunk on?
Cheese Trees
Through three cheese trees three free fleas flew
While these fleas flew, freezy breeze blew
Freezy breeze made these three trees freeze
Freezy trees made these trees’ cheese freeze
That’s what made these three free fleas sneeze
How can a clam cram in a clean cream can?
I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream..
I wish to wash my Irish wristwatch.
All I Want is a Proper Cup of Coffee:
All I want is a proper cup of coffee,
Made in a proper copper coffee pot
I may be off my dot
But I want a cup of coffee
From a proper coffee pot.
Tin coffee pots and iron coffee pots
They’re no use to me –
If I can’t have a proper cup of coffee
In a proper copper coffee pot
I’ll have a cup of tea.
Thought A Thought:
I thought a thought,
But the thought I thought wasn’t the thought I thought I thought.
If the thought I thought I thought had been the thought I thought,
I wouldn’t have thought so much.
Luke Luck
Luke Luck likes lakes.
Luke’s duck likes lakes.
Luke Luck licks lakes.
Luke’s duck licks lakes.
Duck takes licks in lakes Luke Luck likes.
Luke Luck takes licks in lakes duck likes.
Doctor Doctor:
If one doctor doctors another doctor,
Then which doctor is doctoring the doctored doctor?
Does the doctor who doctors the doctor, doctor the doctor the way the doctor he is doctoring doctors?
Or does he doctor the doctor the way the doctor who doctors doctors?
Denise Sees
Denise sees the fleece,Denise sees the fleas.
At least Denise could sneeze
And feed and freeze the fleas.
Fuzzy Wuzzy:
Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear,
Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair,
Fuzzy Wuzzy wasn’t very fuzzy, was he?
Dark Dock:
To sit in solemn silence in a dull, dark dock,
In a pestilential prison, with a life-long lock,
Awaiting the sensation of a short, sharp shock,
From a cheap and chippy chopper on a big black block!
Butter And Jelly:
Yellow butter, purple jelly, red jam, black bread.
Spread it thick, say it quick!
Yellow butter, purple jelly, red jam, black bread,
Spread it thicker, say it quicker!
Yellow butter, purple jelly, red jam, black bread.
Don’t eat until you are spreading it like a spread!
Dull Dark Dock:
To sit in solemn silence in a dull, dark dock
in a pestilential prison with a life-long lock,
awaiting the sensation of a short, sharp shock
from a cheap and chippy chopper with a big, black block.
Yellow Butter:
Yellow butter, purple jelly, red jam, black bread.
Spread it thick, say it quick!
Yellow butter, purple jelly, red jam, black bread.
Spread it thicker, say it quicker!
Yellow butter, purple jelly, red jam, black bread.
Don’t eat with your mouth full!
Birdie birdie:
Birdie birdie in the sky laid a turdie in my eye.
If cows could fly I’d have a cow pie in my eye.
Coldest frosts:
Amidst the mists and coldest frosts,
With stoutest wrists and loudest boasts,
He thrusts his fists against the posts,
And still insists he sees the ghosts.
I Ever felt:
Of all the felt I ever felt,
I never felt a piece of felt
which felt as fine as that felt felt,
when first I felt that felt hat's felt.
You wish to wish:
I wish to wish the wish you wish to wish,
but if you wish the wish the witch wishes,
I won't wish the wish you wish to wish.
I thought a thought:
I thought a thought.
But the thought I thought wasn't the thought I thought I thought.
If the thought I thought I thought had been the thought I thought, I wouldn't have thought so much.
One-One:
One-One was a racehorse.
Two-Two was one, too.
When One-One won one race,
Two-Two won one, too.
What a to do to die today:
What a to do to die today
At a minute or two to two
A thing distinctly hard to say
And harder still to do.
For they'll beat a tattoo at twenty to two
A rat-tat-tat-Tat-tat-tat-Tat-tat-tat-too
And the dragon will come when he hears the drum,
At a minute or two to two today
At a minute or two to two.
Eve eating eagerly elegant Easter eggs.
Difficult Tongue Twisters:
Silly Sally swiftly shooed seven silly sheep.
The seven silly sheep Silly Sally shooed
Shilly-shallied south.
These sheep shouldn't sleep in a shack;
Sheep should sleep in a shed.
The sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep's sick.
(According to The Guinness Book of World Records this is the toughest tongue twister - so far).
I thought, I thought of thinking of thanking you.
Short Riddles:
Can you can a can as a canner can can a can?
Nine nice night nurses nursing nicely.
You know New York, you need New York, you know you need unique New York.
I saw a kitten eating chicken in the kitchen.
If a dog chews shoes, whose shoes does he choose?
I thought I thought of thinking of thanking you.
Near an ear, a nearer ear, a nearly eerie ear.
Eleven benevolent elephants.
She sees cheese.
Six sticky skeletons.
Truly rural.
Pad kid poured curd pulled cod.
Which witch is which?
Willy’s real rear wheel.
Six sleek swans swam swiftly southwards.
Scissors sizzle, thistles sizzle.
A happy hippo hopped and hiccupped.
Cooks cook cupcakes quickly.
Really leery, rarely Larry.
Twelve twins twirled twelve twigs.
A snake sneaks to seek a snack.
Six Czech cricket critics.
Blue bluebird.
Red lorry, yellow lorry.
Daddy Draws Doors.
Three free throws.
The big bug bit the little beetle.
Friendly fleas and fireflies.
Fresh fried fish.
Specific Pacific.
Fred fed Ted bread and Ted fed Fred bread.
Betty’s big bunny bobbled by the blueberry bush.
Six sticky skeletons.
Green glass globes glow greenly.
If a dog chews shoes, whose shoes does he choose?
Rubber baby buggy bumpers.
A skunk sat on a stump and thunk the stump stunk, but the stump thunk the skunk stunk.
Lesser leather never weathered wetter weather better
Two tiny timid toads trying to trot to Tarrytown.
Nine nimble noblemen nibbling nuts.
Quizzical quiz, kiss me quick.
Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager managing an imaginary menagerie.
Try out these tongue twisters at home with your kids and see if you can recite them at breakneck speeds. Let us know how it went, by getting in touch with us.