How good is your English pronunciation? Let’s put it to the test with some tongue twisters!
Tongue twisters are sentences that are intentionally difficult to say, especially when you try to say them quickly. And they’re not just fun – they’re great pronunciation practice because they make you repeat similar sounds again and again.
In this lesson, we’re going to practice six English tongue twisters. I’ll say each one slowly first – try to say it with me – and then we’ll try it faster.
Before we get started, I’d like to invite you into my FREE 5-day pronunciation challenge, where we’ll practice pronouncing 250+ words – from common words to the ones that are trickiest for English learners to say!
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:
- A 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:
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:
- A 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!
- A sheikh is the leader of an Arab family or village.
- This animal is a sheep:
More pronunciation practice:
Which tongue twister was the hardest for you?
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