Tongue twisters from A to Z as training for voice, articulation and concentration
Can you can a can as a canner can can a can?
Tongue twisters for your pronunciation
I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream! And tongue breakers are used to train dedicated speakers. Through regular training with tongue twisters, you will increase your attention, concentration, and memory, as well as your own pronunciation.
Tongue twisters
When you write copy you have the right to copyright the copy you write. Tongue twisters are word sequences whose correct pronunciation is difficult and challenging even for native speakers. They are usually a series of similar words that differ in syllables and are designed to make it difficult for the speaker to pronounce them correctly.
This is done by combining syllables that are seldom pronounced one after the other, making them unfamiliar to the speaker. The words often end in a vowel or a diphthong, whereupon the next word also begins with a vowel or a diphthong, which causes difficulties in pronunciation. Tongue twisters are also often alliterations and rhymes of shaking. Speaking the tongue breaker is often difficult just because of the repetition.
Three thick dragons serve three thin ladies. And tongue twisters serve to train dedicated speakers. This trains speaking ability, articulation, and concentration.
Examples of tongue twisters
Tongue twisters starting with A
A big black bug bit a big black dog on his big black nose!
A black bloke’s back brake-block broke.
A fly and flea flew into a flue,
said the fly to the flea ‘what shall we do?’
‘let us fly’ said the flea
said the fly ‘shall we flee’
so they flew through a flaw in the flue.
A gazillion gigantic grapes gushed
gradually giving gophers gooey guts.
A lump of red leather, a red leather lump
A pessimistic pest exists amidst us.
A slimey snake slithered down the sandy Sahara.
An agile, angry ape addled up the avenue.
Ann and Andy’s anniversary is in April.
As one black bug, bled blue, black blood. The other black bug bled blue.
Tongue twisters starting with B
Bake big batches of bitter brown bread.
Big black bugs bleed blue black blood but baby black bugs bleed blue blood.
Black background, brown background, black background, brown background, black background, brown background.
Birdie birdie in the sky laid a turdie in my eye.
If cows could fly I’d have a cow pie in my eye.
Buckets of bug blood, buckets of bug blood, buckets of bug blood.
Busy buzzing bumble bees.
Tongue twisters with C
Can you can a can as a canner can can a can?
Chester Cheetah chews a chunk of cheep cheddar cheese.
Clean clams crammed in clean cans.
Crush grapes, grapes crush, crush grapes.
Crying came the crone creeping from the cold cafe.
Tongue twisters starting with D
Denise sees the fleece,
Denise sees the fleas.
At least Denise could sneeze
and feed and freeze the fleas.
Dimensional analysis
Double bubble gum, bubbles double.
Dust is a disk’s worst enemy.
Tongue twisters starting with E
Earnest Edgar eyed everything everywhere.
Eddie edited it.
Elizabeth has eleven elves in her elm tree.
Excited executioner exercising his excising powers excessively.
Tongue twisters starting with F
Four furious friends fought for the phone.
Five frantic frogs fled from fifty fierce fishes.
Fresh French fried fly fritters.
Fresh fried fish,
Fish fresh fried,
Fried fish fresh,
Fish fried fresh.
Tongue twisters starting with G
Gilbert grabbed a golden globe, giving it to Gilda.
Gobbling gargoyles gobbled gobbling goblins.
Good blood, bad blood.
Gig whip, gig whip, gig whip.
Green glass globes glow greenly.
Tongue twisters starting with H
He threw three balls.
He threw three free throws.
How can a clam cram in a clean cream can?
How many cans can a cannibal nibble
if a cannibal can nibble cans?
As many cans as a cannibal can nibble
if a cannibal can nibble cans.
How many cookies could a good cook cook If a good cook could cook cookies? A good cook could cook as many cookies as a good cook who could cook cookies.
How much caramel can a canny cannonball cram in a camel if a canny cannonball can cram caramel in a camel?
How many snacks could a snack stacker stack, if a snack stacker snacked stacked snacks?
How much dew does a dewdrop drop
If dewdrops do drop dew?
They do drop, they do
As do dewdrops drop
If dewdrops do drop dew.
How much ground would a groundhog hog, if a groundhog could hog ground? A groundhog would hog all the ground he could hog, if a groundhog could hog ground.
How much pot, could a pot roast roast, if a pot roast could roast pot.
Tongue twisters starting with I
I’m a sock cutter and I cut socks.
I’m a sock cutter and I cut socks.
I’m a sock cutter and I cut socks.
I eat eel while you peel eel.
I saw a kitten eating chicken in the kitchen.
I scream, you scream, we all scream for icecream!
I shot three shy thrushes.
I shot the city sheriff.
I shot the city sheriff.
I shot the city sheriff.
I thought, I thought of thinking of thanking you.
I’m not the fig plucker,
nor the fig plucker’s son,
but I’ll pluck figs
till the fig plucker comes.
I see a sea down by the seashore.
But which sea do you see down by the seashore?
If two witches watched two watches, which witch would watch which watch?
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 wish you were a fish in my dish.
If practice makes perfect and perfect needs practice, I’m perfectly practiced and practically perfect.
If colored caterpillars could change their colors constantly could they keep their colored coat colored properly?
If you notice this notice,
you will notice that this notice is not worth noticing.
If you understand, say “understand”.
If you don’t understand, say “don’t understand”.
But if you understand and say “don’t understand”.
how do I understand that you understand. Understand!?
If you’re keen on stunning kites and cunning stunts,
buy a cunning stunning stunt kite.
I saw Susie sitting in a shoeshine shop.
I slit the sheet, the sheet I slit, and on the slitted sheet I sit
I slit a sheet, a sheet I slit, upon a slitted sheet I sit.
It’s a nice night for a white rice fight.
It’s not the cough that carries you off,
it’s the coffin they carry you off in!
Tongue twisters starting with J
Justin jumping joyous joined in Johnna’s jubilee.
Tongue twisters starting with K
Knife and a fork bottle and a cork
that is the way you spell New York.
Chicken in the car and the car can go,
that is the way you spell Chicago.
Tongue twisters starting with L
Lesser leather never weathered wetter weather better.
Local yokel jokes.
Lou Lou licked on lollipops while Larry lit a light.
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.
Love’s a feeling you feel when you feel
you’re going to feel the feeling you’ve never felt before.
Tongue twisters starting with M
Myrtle made moist, Mango muffins mostly meant for Mina.
Tongue twisters starting with N
Naughty nighthawks noisily, narrowly neared Nina.
Nine nice night nurses nursing nicely.
No need to light a night-light on a light night like tonight.
Tongue twisters starting with O
Octopus ocular optics.
One smart fellow, he felt smart.
Two smart fellows, they felt smart.
Three smart fellows, they felt smart.
Four smart fellows, they felt smart.
Five smart fellows, they felt smart.
Six smart fellows, they felt smart.
Tongue twisters starting with P
Peter poorly penniless prepares a peekish pout.
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. How many pickled peppers did Peter Piper pick?
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?
Picky people pick Peter Pan Peanut-Butter, ’tis the peanut-butter picky people pick.
Pirates Private Property
Purple paper people, purple paper people, purple paper people.
Tongue twisters starting with Q
Quails quoted a quandry quickly quarrel qualities.
Tongue twisters starting with R
Real weird rear wheels, real weird rear wheels, real weird rear wheels.
Red blood, green blood, red blood, green blood, red blood, green blood.
Roberta ran rings around the Roman ruins.
Roofs of mushrooms rarely mush too much.
Rory the warrior and Roger the worrier were reared wrongly in a rural brewery.
Round and round the rugged rock the ragged rascal ran.
Rudder valve reversals
Tongue twisters starting with S
Scissors sizzle, thistles sizzle.
Seven slick slimey snakes slowly sliding southward.
She saw Sherif’s shoes on the sofa. But was she so sure she saw Sherif’s shoes on the sofa?
She stood on the balcony, inexplicably mimicking him hiccuping, and amicably welcoming him in.
Shut up the shutters and sit in the shop.
Seven sleazy shysters in sharkskin suits sold sheared sealskins to seasick sailors.
She sees cheese.
Sheena leads, Sheila needs.
Shut up the shutters and sit in the shop.
Silly sheep weep and sleep.
Singing Sammy sung songs on sinking sand.
Six sick hicks nick six slick bricks with picks and sticks.
Six sleek swans swam swiftly southwards.
Six slimy snails sailed silently.
She stood on the balcony, inexplicably mimicking him hiccuping, and amicably welcoming him in.
Stupid superstition!
Suzie Seaword’s fish-sauce shop sells unsifted thistles for thistle-sifters to sift.
Susie works in a shoeshine shop. Where she shines she sits, and where she sits she shines
Tongue twisters starting with T
The big black bug bit the big black bear,
but the big black bear bit the big black bug back!
The great Greek grape growers grow great Greek grapes.
The owner of the inside inn was inside his inside inn with his inside outside his inside inn.
The queen in green screamed.
The ruddy widow really wants ripe watermelon and red roses when winter arrives.
The thirty-three thieves thought that they thrilled the throne throughout Thursday.
Thrash the thickset thug!
There those thousand thinkers were thinking how did the other three thieves go through.
There was a fisherman named Fisher
who fished for some fish in a fissure.
Till a fish with a grin,
pulled the fisherman in.
Now they’re fishing the fissure for Fisher.
There was a minimum of cinnamon in the aluminum pan.
Thin grippy thick slippery.
Thirty-three thirsty, thundering thoroughbreds thumped Mr. Thurber on Thursday.
Thirty-three sly shy thrushes.
Three short sword sheaths.
Three thick things.
Tie a knot, tie a knot.
Tie a tight, tight knot.
Tie a knot in the shape of a nought.
Tie twine to three tree twigs.
Tom threw Tim three thumbtacks.
Tongue twisters starting with U
Uma utters undiscovered, “Uphold unity.”
Tongue twisters starting with V
Valuable valley villas.
Vera vocalizes, venting, verbal vanity.
Tongue twisters starting with W
Wayne went to Wales to watch walruses.
What veteran ventriloquist whistles?
When you write copy you have the right to copyright the copy you write.
Whoever slit the sheets is a good sheet slitter.
Which rich wicked witch wished the wicked wish?
Which wristwatch is a Swiss wristwatch?
Which witch is which?
Why do you cry, Willy?
Why do you cry?
Why, Willy?
Why, Willy?
Why, Willy? Why?
Will you, William? Will you, William? Will you, William?
Can’t you, don’t you, won’t you, William?
Willie’s really weary.
Wow, race winners really want red wine right away!
Tongue twisters starting with X
Xander examines xylophones while xeroxing x-rays.
X-ray checks clear chests.
Tongue twisters starting with Y
Yellow leather, yellow feather.
Yolanda’s yellow yogurt yields a yummy yearning yen.
Tongue twisters starting with Z
Zachary’s zenith zones on the zodiac and zen.
This is a zither. Is this a zither?
Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear. Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair. Fuzzy Wuzzy wasn’t fuzzy, was he?
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Public speaking: 14 tips for a healthy voice and a sonorous performance
Professional speakers must be particularly careful as their voices are their prerequisites for their tasks. That’s why you’ll find tips on how to protect your voice on these pages.
This article is a short excerpt from the more comprehensive course materials my clients receive in a group or individual training or coaching.
Published: September 26, 2018
Author: Karsten Noack
Revision: August 20th, 2023
Translation: ./.
German version: https://www.karstennoack.de/zungenbrecher/
K:
H:
T: RR
#351
Great collection!
Thanks!
How can I train myself with tongue twisters? Are there any tricks?
You can practice this daily for a minimum of 10 minutes or more if you can. The key goal is to properly and clearly articulate the words because by slowly but surely saying it correctly you are building a strong foundation for your English Speaking Skills.
Thank you for sharing such valuable information.
Thank you. great help.
:-)
I love the tongue twister
wow ! so fabulous !
Sally sells seashells on the seashore