Tongue Twisters are phrases or sentences designed to be tricky or difficult to pronounce, especially when repeated several times or quickly.
Tongue twisters are a great way to practice and improve pronunciation and fluency. They can also help to improve accents by using alliteration, which is the repetition of one sound.
What are the best tongue twisters?
The best tongue twisters can help boost children’s and adults’ pronunciation through repetitive letters. For example, one of the most famous tongue twisters can perfect pupils’ P.
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?
What is the hardest tongue twister in the world?
All tongue twisters are designed to be tricky, but what is the hardest tongue twister ever written (or spoken)? Teams of researchers have been looking for the toughest tongue twister ever, and a team of psychologists in America thinks they’ve found it! This team has suggested that the tongue twister below is the hardest tongue twister to say out loud.
Pad kid poured curd-pulled cod
Researchers suggest that people who try to pronounce this sentence usually stop in the middle of saying it because it is too difficult or they could only get through it once and couldn’t repeat it. So, are your students up to the challenge? Present your little ones with this tongue twister to see if they can make it to the end.
Uses For Tongue Twisters In The Classroom
Tongue twisters are a fun way for kids to enjoy their spoken literacy skills, but did you know there are many other uses for tongue twisters in the classroom? For example:
- Tongue twisters are a fabulous way to play with language and how we speak. Young ESL students can see tongue twisters as a fun language challenge the whole class could get involved with.
- Tongue twisters can challenge children to get familiar with language patterns. So many words in the English language rhyme with one another and are alliterative or homophones; this can be for some incredibly interesting tongue twisters.
- Tongue twisters can help strengthen the muscles associated with speech and clear pronunciation.
- They can help teachers understand which letters, sounds, and words students struggle with. Tongue twisters can highlight which sounds you’re working with. You may get stuck on the same sound again and again. This is a sign to focus on that sound!
- Tongue twisters in English are a great way for your ESL class to have fun with language. They can be read out loud together as a class or individually to see who can say the tongue twisters in full, with no mistakes.
International Tongue Twisters Day
Get tongue-tied this International tongue twister day on November 8th, 2021. Tongue Twister Day encourages you to give your tongue a workout and challenge your friends to the most convoluted and difficult tongue twisters of the year.
Tongue Twisters For Kids
Ready to try out some fun tongue twisters for kids? Try:
Easy & Short Tongue Twisters For Young Students:
- Red lorry, yellow lorry.
- She sees cheese.
- Sheep should sleep in the shed.
- Greek grapes, Greek grapes, Greek grapes.
- Lucky rabbits like to cause a ruckus.
- Katie caught the kitten in the kitchen.
- Which wristwatches are Swiss wristwatches?
- I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!
- Give papa a cup of proper coffee in a copper coffee cup.
- Five frantic frogs fled from fifty fierce fishes.
Longer Tongue Twisters For Students:
1) 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?
2) 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
3) Betty’s 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
4) Silly Sally:
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.
5) Proper Pot 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.
6) Race horse
One-One was a racehorse.
Two-Two was one, too.
When One-One won one race,
To-Two won one, too.
7) I 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.
8) Tree toad
A tree-toad loved a she-toad
Who lived up in a tree.
He was a two-toed tree-toad,
But a three-toed toad was she.
The two-toed tree-toad tried to win
The three-toed she-toad’s heart,
For the two-toed tree-toad loved the ground
That the three-toed tree-toad trod.
But the two-toed tree-toad tried in vain;
He couldn’t please her whim.
From her tree-toad bower,
With her three-toed power,
The she-toad vetoed him.
9) Mr. See
Mr. See owned a saw.
And Mr. Soar owned a seesaw.
Now, See’s saw sawed Soar’s seesaw
Before Soar saw See,
Which made Soar sore.
Had Soar seen See’s saw
Before See sawed Soar’s seesaw,
See’s saw would not have sawed
Soar’s seesaw.
So See’s saw sawed Soar’s seesaw.
But it was sad to see Soar so sore
just because See’s saw sawed
Soar’s seesaw.
10) Tutor Twister
A tutor who tooted the flute
tried to tutor two tooters to toot.
Said the two to their tutor:
“Is it harder to toot,
Or to tutor two tooters to toot?”
