Pronunciation Practice with Tongue Twisters

Pronunciation Practice with Tongue Twisters Espresso EnglishImage source

Are you ready for some advanced English pronunciation practice? Try these tongue twisters!

Tongue Twister #1 – Peter Piper

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
Did Peter Piper pick a peck of pickled peppers?
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
Where’s the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?

Slow:

Fast:

  • peck is a unit of measurement equal to about 8 quarts (7.6 liters)
  • Peppers are vegetables. Pickled peppers means the peppers are preserved in vinegar:
Pronunciation Practice with Tongue Twisters Espresso EnglishImage source: Lesleycooks.com

Tongue Twister #2 – The Bug & the Bear

A big bug bit a bold bald bear and the bold bald bear bled blood badly.

Slow:

Fast:

  • Bug is another word for insect
  • Bald means the bear has no hair
  • Blood is the red fluid that comes out of your body when you are injured. The verb is bleed, and the past tense is bled.

Tongue Twister #3 – She Sells Sea-Shells

She sells sea-shells on the sea-shore.
The shells she sells are sea-shells, I’m sure.
For if she sells sea-shells on the sea-shore
Then I’m sure she sells sea-shore shells.

Slow:

Fast:

  • On the sea-shore means “near the ocean.”
  • Sea-shells are the colorful exoskeletons of marine animals, which you can find on the beach.

Tongue Twister #4 – The Swimming Swan

Swan swam over the pond,
Swim swan swim!
Swan swam back again –
Well swum swan!

Slow:

Fast:

  • Swim is the main verb; the past tense is swam and the past participle is swum
  • A pond is a small body of water
  • This bird is called a swan:

Tongue Twister #5 – Betty Botter

Betty Botter bought a bit of butter.
The butter Betty Botter bought was a bit bitter
And made her batter bitter.
But a bit of better butter makes better batter.
So Betty Botter bought a bit of better butter
Making Betty Botter’s bitter batter better

Slow:

Fast:

  • bit is a very small amount
  • The word bitter is the opposite of sweet
  • The word batter means the liquid mixture of flour, milk, eggs, butter, etc. that is used to make cakes.

Tongue Twister #6 – The Sheikh’s Sheep

The sixth sick sheikh’s sixth sheep’s sick.

Slow:

Sorry – I can’t do this one fast and correctly!

  • This is considered one of the hardest tongue twisters in the English language!
  • sheikh is the leader of an Arab family or village.
  • This animal is a sheep:
Pronunciation Practice with Tongue Twisters Espresso EnglishImage source: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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