Tongue twisters | Can you say these perfectly?

Tongue twisters | An overview

Tongue twisters take us down memory lane and fill us with a sense of nostalgia. From challenging our friends to a competition of tongue twisters and roaring in laughter at one another’s unsuccessful attempts to practice them in our room’s secrecy with exams lurking around the corner, somewhere in between, we all grew up. But, the charm of tongue twisters remains the same even today and just as testing.

A detailed view of tongue twisters!

Tongue twisters are essentially phrases that make it difficult for people to articulate and repeat them quickly. They are usually famous for being a formidable word game; however, these phrases have more than one use. These phrases are also prescribed as verbal exercises to improve oral communication, fluency, and pronunciation on several occasions.

Origination of tongue twisters

These famous nonsensical phrases are traced back to the 19th century when the prevalent “Peter Piper’s Practical Principles of Plain and Perfect Pronunciation” was published by John Harris. The book mainly aimed to enable children to effortlessly grasp the basics of speech. However, the book turned several heads and prompted readers to speculate with tricky sentences.

Benefits of tongue twisters

#1. Strengthening speech muscles

Getting the pronunciation of certain words correct can be frustrating. Tongue twisters are fun and help strengthen speech muscles, enabling more explicit speech and better articulation.

#2. Helps in rectifying mistakes

The speed and frequency required for these phrases help you identify which words you are struggling with pronouncing the most. It helps you in rectifying your pronunciation.

#3. Great for public speaking

As a matter of fact, tongue twisters are great warm-up exercises before presenting to the public. Most often, performers and public speakers practice tongue twister exercises before proceeding with their set.

Tongue twister exercises | A few exciting ones for you!

The only way to perfect tongue twisters is to practice them continually by enunciating each letter clearly and changing your pace and frequency with each level. Let’s start you off with some fun exercises –

Easy phrases to practice

• She sells seashells down by the seashore
• If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, Where’s the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?
• A flea and a fly flew up in a flue.
• Rubber baby buggy bumpers
• Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear, Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair; Fuzzy Wuzzy wasn’t fuzzy, was he?
• How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? 7. Susie’s sister sewed socks for soldiers
• I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!
• 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.
• Betty bought butter, but the butter was bitter, so Betty bought better butter to make the bitter butter better.

Tongue twisters for kids | Top 10 to practice

• My mommy makes me muffins on Mondays.
• A big black bear bit a big black bug.
• Kitty caught the kitten in the kitchen.
• I saw Susie sitting in a shoeshine shop.
• Four fine fresh fish for you.
• How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
• Nine nice night nurses nursing nicely.
• If a dog chews shoes, whose shoes does he choose?
• Chef chopped cheese chunks cheerfully.
• How can a clam cram in a clean cream can?

Tongue twisters for rappers | 10 best ones!

• Red leather, yellow leather.
• You know New York, you need New York, you know you need unique New York.
• Can you imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie?
• The a the b the c the d thee the f the g the h the i the j the k the l them the n the o the p the q the r the s the t the u the v the w the x the y the z.
• Kick that as fast as you can, then do it faster.
• Excited executioner exercising his exercising powers excessively.
• How much caramel can a canny cannonball cram in a camel if a canny cannonball can cram caramel in a camel?
• She sits and shines shoes, and when she sits, she shines all day.
• Nothing slipshod drip drop flip flop or glip glop. Tip me to a tip-top grip top sock.
• Theophilus Thistle, the thistle sifter, thrust a thousand thistles through the thick of his thumb.

Funny tongue twisters | Have a hearty laugh

• Birdie birdie in the sky laid a turdie in my eye.
• If cows could fly, I’d have a cow pie in my eye.
• 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 4. Yellow butter, purple jelly, red jam, black bread.
• Spread it thick; say it quick!
• Yellow butter, purple jelly, red jam, black bread.
• Spread it thicker; say it quicker!
• Yellow butter, purple jelly, red jam, black bread.
• Don’t eat with your mouth full!
• I slit the sheet, the sheet I slit, and on the slitted sheet, I sit.

Short tongue twisters | Easy enough?

• Eleven benevolent elephants.
• She sees cheese.
• Six sticky skeletons.
• Truly rural.
• Pad kid poured curd pulled cod.
• Which witch is which?
• Willy’s real rear wheel.
• Six sleek swans swam swiftly southwards.
• Scissors sizzle, thistles sizzle.
• A happy hippo hopped and hiccupped.

Key takeaways

• All in all, tongue twisters are a great way to identify and rectify the words you struggle with. 
• Tongue twisters, as a matter of fact, help with fluency and better pronunciation. 
• In addition to this, they are beneficial in developing the linguistic abilities of kids. 

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Liked this blog? Then read Linguistics | Everything you need to know about it!

FAQs

Question 1: Should we teach tongue twisters to kids?

Answers: Tongue twisters, even though difficult, must be incorporated into children’s education as they are extremely efficient in improving fluency and speech abilities in kids.

Question 2: Are tongue twisters instrumental to music creation?

Answer: As a matter of fact, tongue twisters help strengthen speech muscles and ensure better pronunciation of every single letter. It helps in warming up the lips and tongue, giving musicians better clarity of the lyrics and thus helping the audience understand their music better.

Question 3: Are tongue twisters literary devices?

Answer: All in all, tongue twisters are examples of alliteration. Alliteration is the constant repetition of the initial pronunciation of a letter.