Tongue Twisters

Орлова Марина Анатольевна

tongue twister is a specific sequence of words whose rapid, repeated pronunciation is difficult even for native speakers. 
Often these are similar words which follow one another but differ in certain syllables. Alliterations are also frequent. 
In addition, some tongues are difficult because of their unusual word composition (sentence structure) and therefore require a high level of concentration.

Some Tongue twisters are made for amusement, but on the other hand, professional speakers such as actors, politicians, and television / radio hosts use them as articulation exercises.

Tongue Twisters to improve pronunciation in English

A collection of my favorite tongue twisters to warm up your lips and tongue ...

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.

  1. Classic Tongue Twisters
  2. 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?
  3. 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.
  4. She sells sea shells by the seashore.
  5. Betty bought a bit of butter.
    But the butter Betty bought was bitter.
    so Betty bought a better butter,
    and it was better than the butter Betty bought before. 
    [Variation of Carolyn Wells The Butter Betty Bought published 1899.]
  6. Difficult Tongue Twisters
  7. 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.
  8. 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.]
  9. Funny Tongue Twisters
  10. Round the rough and rugged rock the ragged rascal rudely ran.
  11. 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.
  12. 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.
  13. Two tiny timid toads trying to trot to Tarrytown.
  14. Nine nimble noblemen nibbling nuts.
  15. Quizzical quiz, kiss me quick.
  16. Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager managing an imaginary menagerie.
  17. 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.
  18. Eve eating eagerly elegant Easter eggs.
  19. Ingenious iguanas improvising an intricate impromptu on impossibly-impractical instruments.
  20. These thousand tricky tongue twisters trip thrillingly off the tongue.
  21. Tongue Twisters for Kids
  22. A proper copper coffee pot.
  23. One-One was a racehorse.
    Two-Two was one, too.
    When One-One won one race,
    Two-Two won one, too.
  24. Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear. Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair. Fuzzy Wuzzy wasn't fuzzy, was he?
  25. Which wristwatches are Swiss wristwatches?
  26. If a dog chews shoes, whose shoes does he choose?
  27. Easy Tongue Twisters
  28. He threw three free throws.
  29. I slit the sheet, the sheet I slit, and on the slitted sheet I sit.
  30. If you notice this notice, you will notice that this notice is not worth noticing.
  31. Nine nice night nurses nursing nicely.
  32. I like New York, unique New York, I like unique New York.
  33. Four fine fresh fish for you.
  34. A proper cup of coffee from a proper copper coffee pot.
  35. Short Tongue Twisters (3x)
  36. Six sticky skeletons.
  37. Which witch is which?
  38. She sees cheese.
  39. Stupid superstition.
  40. Eleven benevolent elephants.
  41. Truly rural.
  42. Tongue Twisters About Thinking & Feeling
  43. Three thin thinkers thinking thick thoughtful thoughts.
  44. 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.
  45. 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.
  46. I thought, I thought of thinking of thanking you.
  47. 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.