109 Tongue Twisters in English to Practice Your Pronunciation

Explore 109 entertaining tongue twisters in English! Perfect for language learners and speech enthusiasts, these fun phrases will challenge your pronunciation and improve your articulation.

Tongue twisters are phrases or sentences designed to be difficult to say quickly and accurately. They are a fun and effective way to sharpen your pronunciation skills and mix humor with challenge, making them ideal for anyone wanting to improve their speaking skills.

From famous tongue twisters like “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers” to more complex ones, they help you practice tricky sounds and train your brain to think fast. They often feature alliteration, similar sounds, and tricky word combinations that challenge pronunciation and diction. If you can master them, you can take on any challenge in speaking English!

So, are you ready to twist your tongue? Here are 109 tongue twisters to get you started!

109 Tongue Twisters in English

Whether you’re a language learner or a native speaker, these tongue twisters will challenge your speech and articulation. Prepare to have your tongue tied up in knots!

1. A box of biscuits, a box of mixed biscuits, and a biscuit mixer.
2. A cup of proper coffee in a copper coffee pot.
3. A dozen double damask dinner napkins.
4. A loyal warrior will rarely worry why we rule.
5. A noisy noise annoys an oyster.
6. A pessimistic pest exists amidst us.
7. A skunk sat on a stump and thunk the stump stunk, but the stump thunk the skunk stunk.
8. A synonym for cinnamon is a cinnamon synonym.
9. An ape hates grape cakes.
10. Bake big batches of bitter brown bread.
11. Betty Botter bought some butter.
12. Black background, brown background.
13. Black back bat. (Repeat x3).
14. Blake’s black bike’s back brake broke.
15. Can you can a can as a canner can can a can?
16. Chester cheetah chews a chunk of cheap cheddar cheese.
17. Cheap ship trip. (Repeat x3).
18. Clever kangaroos clobber carefully.
19. Denise sees the fleece, Denise sees the fleas. At least Denise could sneeze and feed and freeze the fleas.
20. Do drop in at the Dewdrop Inn.
21. Double bubble gum, bubbles double.
22. Drew Dodd’s dad’s dog’s dead.
23. Eddie edited it. (Repeat x3).
24. Eleven benevolent elephants. (Repeat x3).
25. Elizabeth’s birthday is on the third Thursday of this month.
26. Fred fed Ted bread, and Ted fed Fred bread.
27. Four fine fresh fish for you.
28. Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear. Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair. Fuzzy Wuzzy wasn’t very fuzzy, was he?
29. Giggle gaggle gurgle. (Repeat x3).
30. Give papa a cup of proper coffee in a copper coffee cup.
31. Greek grapes grow great.
32. He threw three free throws.
33. How can a clam cram in a clean cream can?
34. How many yaks could a yak pack pack if a yak pack could pack yaks?
35. How much dew could a dewdrop drop if a dewdrop could drop dew?
36. How much ground would a groundhog hog if a groundhog could hog ground?
37. 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.
38. I saw a kitten eating chicken in the kitchen.
39. I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream.
40. I slit the sheet, the sheet I slit, and on the slitted sheet I sit.
41. 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 I thought.
42. If a black bug bleeds black blood, what color blood does a blue bug bleed?
43. If practice makes perfect and perfect needs practice, I’m perfectly practiced and practically perfect.
44. If Stu chews shoes, should Stu choose the shoes he chews?
45. If two witches would watch two watches, which witch would watch which watch?
46. If you must cross a course cross cow across a crowded cow crossing, cross the cross coarse cow across the crowded cow crossing carefully.
47. In ’ertford, ’ereford and ’ampshire, ’urricanes ’ardly ever ’appen.
48. I wish to wash my Irish wristwatch.
49. Is this your sister’s sixth zither, sir?
50. Lesser leather never weathered wetter weather better.
51. Luke Luck likes lakes. Luke’s duck likes lakes. Luke Luck licks lakes. Luck’s duck licks lakes. Duck takes licks in lakes Luke Luck likes. Luke Luck takes licks in lakes duck likes.
52. Many an anemone sees an enemy anemone.
53. Mixed biscuits. (Repeat x3).
54. Ned Nott was shot and Sam Shott was not. So it is better to be Shott than Nott.
55. Nine nimble noblemen nibble nuts.
56. No need to light a night-light on a light night like tonight.
57. On a lazy laser raiser lies a laser ray eraser.
58. One black beetle bled only black blood, the other black beetle bled blue.
59. Pad kid poured curd pulled cod.
60. Peggy Babcock. (Repeat x3).
61. Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
62. Red lorry, yellow lorry. (Repeat x3).
63. Rory the warrior and Roger the worrier were reared wrongly in a rural brewery.
64. Round and round the rugged rock the ragged rascal ran.
65. Rubber baby buggy bumpers.
66. Sally sells seashells by the seashore.
67. Santa’s short suit shrunk.
68. Selfish shellfish. (Repeat x3).
69. Seven slick, slimy snails slid slowly seaward.
70. She sees cheese. (Repeat x3).
71. She sells seashells by the seashore, but the seashells she sells aren’t seashells, I’m sure.
72. Sheena leads, Sheila needs. (Repeat x3).
73. Shy Shelly says she shall sew sheets.
74. Six slippery snails slid slowly seaward.
75. Six sleek swans swam swiftly southwards.
76. Six sticky skeletons. (Repeat x3).
77. Six thin things. (Repeat x3).
78. Six thick thistle sticks. (Repeat x3).
79. Six sick hicks nick six slick bricks with picks and sticks.
80. Susie works in a shoeshine shop. Where she shines she sits, and where she sits she shines.
81. The great Greek grape growers grow great Greek grapes.
82. The myth of Miss Muffet.
83. The Queen in green screamed.
84. The sixth sick sheik’s sixth sheep’s sick.
85. The soldier’s shoulder surely hurts!
86. The two-twenty-two train tore through the tunnel.
87. There those thousand thinkers were thinking how did the other three thieves go through.
88. Thin sticks, thick bricks. (Repeat x3).
89. Three gray geese in the green grass grazing.
90. Three free throws. (Repeat x3).
91. Three sweet switched Swiss witches watch three washed Swiss witch Swatch watches.
92. Three witches watch three Swatch watches. Which witch watches which Swatch watch?
93. Tie twine to three tree twigs.
94. Tim the thin twin tinsmith.
95. Tom threw Tim three thumbtacks.
96. Truly rural. (Repeat x3).
97. Twelve twins twirled twelve twigs.
98. Two tried and true tridents.
99. Two toads, totally tired.
100. Unique New York. (Repeat x3).
101. We surely shall see the sun shine soon.
102. Which witch is which? (Repeat x3)
103. Which wristwatches are Swiss wristwatches?
104. Which witch switched the Swiss wristwatches?
105. Willie’s really weary. (Repeat x3).
106. Yellow butter, purple jelly, red jam, black bread.
107. You know New York, you need New York, you know you need unique New York.
108. You know you need unique New York.
109. Your mother’s mutton is as bitter as mustard.

What Are the Hardest Tongue Twisters in English?

Some of the hardest tongue twisters are difficult due to their repetition of similar sounds, fast-paced rhythm, and tricky phrasing. Here are a few of the most challenging ones:

1. The sixth sick sheik’s sixth sheep’s sick.
   • Known as one of the most difficult tongue twisters in the English language, this phrase is tough due to the repeating “s” and “sh” sounds.
2. Pad kid poured curd pulled cod.
   • Considered by many to be nearly impossible to say quickly, this short yet complex tongue twister can trip up even experienced speakers.
3. Irish wristwatch.
   • Simple, but the combination of “r” and “w” sounds in quick succession can easily cause mispronunciation.
4. She sells seashells by the seashore, but the seashells she sells aren’t seashells, I’m sure.
   • This variation of the classic “She sells seashells” increases difficulty with extra phrasing, making it harder to maintain rhythm and clarity.
5. Six slippery snails slid slowly seaward.
   • The repeating “s” sounds combined with the word “slid” make this phrase a mouthful, especially when said quickly.
6. Which witch switched the Swiss wristwatches?
   • The alternating “w” and “sw” sounds, combined with the word “wristwatches,” make this one difficult to articulate clearly at speed.

These tongue twisters push the limits of your pronunciation, making them perfect for anyone looking for an extra challenge!

Key Features of a Tongue Twister

Tongue twisters often feature alliteration, rhyme, and a combination of similar sounds, which can challenge even fluent speakers. Here are some key points about tongue twisters:

1. Purpose: Tongue twisters are primarily used as a vocal exercise to improve pronunciation, diction, and fluency. They can help language learners practice challenging sounds and improve their speech clarity.
2. Structure: They usually contain repetitive sounds or syllables, making them tricky to say without stumbling. The more similar the sounds are, the harder the tongue twister tends to be.
3. Entertainment: Besides their practical uses, tongue twisters are often used for fun and amusement. They can be a great way to engage groups or break the ice in social situations.
4. Variations: Tongue twisters can vary in length and complexity, ranging from simple phrases like “red lorry, yellow lorry” to longer, more complex sentences that require significant concentration.
5. Cultural Aspect: Many languages have their own tongue twisters, showcasing unique sounds and linguistic features. This makes them a fascinating aspect of language learning. You can even make your own!

Overall, tongue twisters should serve as both a linguistic challenge and a source of entertainment, which makes them a popular tool for improving speaking skills whilst having a bit of fun!

Twisted Your Tongue?

Congratulations on making it through our collection of 109 tongue twisters! You’ve twisted your tongue, tested your skills, and hopefully had a few laughs along the way. Remember, practice makes perfect, so don’t hesitate to challenge yourself or even involve friends for some friendly competition.

Whether you’re looking to enhance your pronunciation or just enjoy the playful nature of language, tongue twisters are a fantastic tool. So, keep practicing, have fun, and who knows? You might just become a tongue-twisting champion! Happy speaking!

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James Prior

The founder of DoTEFL, James is passionate about helping others fulfill their dreams through teaching and traveling abroad.

James has been helping people teach English abroad for over twelve years. He’s traveled to over 30 countries, lived in 3, and taught English in Chile and online.

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