Tongue twisters are a brain-bending, mind-boggling, nail-biting test of your articulation skills. A cheeky alliteration here, a slippery consonant there, or even a tooth-chattering dental fricative can trip up the best of speakers.
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Beyond the laughs, tough tongue twisters are also a great way to improve your pronunciation before a big speech, theater performance, or office presentation. We’ve picked the most baffling and twisted phrases from well-known classics to fresh modern ones, ready to tangle even the most fluent tongues.
Whether you’re learning English or craving a hilarious collection of tongue twisters hard enough to break your brain, expect plenty of laughs, slips, and self-inflicted confusion.
The Sick Sheik
“The sixth sick sheik’s sixth sheep’s sick.”
The relentless switch between the sibilant “s” and “sh” sounds and the dental fricative “th” in this tongue twister causes the words to clash on your tongue. The “sixth sick sheik’s” is almost impossible to say in a single breath without stuttering.
A 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.”
The length of this tongue twister is already challenging; add in the contrast between the “tr” in tree and trod with the extra “sh” sound, and it becomes a thorough enunciation test. Similar words also cause a slight shift in tongue positioning.
The Cow Crossing
“If you must cross a coarse, cross cow across a crowded cow crossing, cross the cross, coarse cow across the crowded cow crossing carefully.”
The repetition of the “cr” sound, combined with similar words like coarse and cross, creates a jumble of words when rushed. One wrong move, and your diction is like splitting milk.
Purple Paper
“A purple paper people picker.”
This is a classic example of labial overload. The repetition of the “p” sound demands constant lip movement. Combining that with the sounds in “purple” and “people” causes sloppy stumbling.
Rhys, Ross, and His Wristwatch
“Rhys watched Ross switch his Irish wristwatch for a Swiss wristwatch.”
The most Herculean task of switching between the consonants “r” and “w” makes this tongue twister especially tricky. The pairing of “wristwatch” and “Swiss wristwatch” also creates an awkward sound combination.
Sassy Sam
“Sassy Sam swiftly sells seven slippery, silver skates.”
Sassy Sam presents a fierce sibilant attack. The tongue must precisely hit the “s” sound at the front of the mouth. Adding the “l” and “w” sounds often leads to pronunciation issues.
Unique New York
“You know you need unique New York.”
This one is popular among actors and theater enthusiasts because they use it to test their articulation. The main challenge is the quick yet subtle shift between the sounds in “you” and “New York,” with the complex vowel in “unique” making it even more difficult on the tongue.
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Betty Bought Better Butter
“Betty Botter bought a bit of butter, but the butter Betty Botter bought was bitter.
So Betty Botter bought a bit of better butter to make the bitter butter better.
But the bitter makes the better butter bitter.”
Famously popularized by Gloria (Sofía Vergara) on Modern Family, this might be one of the most well-known tongue twisters, and it’s challenging even for native English speakers.
The rolling “buh” and the shifts between “bit/butter/bitter/batter” make vowel precision crucial. Miss a beat, and you can bet Betty’s batter is ruined.
Big Black Bug
“The big black bug bit a big black bear, and the big black bear bled blue-black blood.”
You can always rely on an extreme alliteration to leave you speechless. The internal rhyme and the bilabial plosive “b” make it difficult to distinguish the words.
An Amicable Welcome
“She stood upon the balcony, inexplicably mimicking him, hiccuping and amicably welcoming him in.”
The challenge with this one is the rhythm breaking, and the mix of word endings forces constant shifts between vowels and consonants in the middle of words. It’s definitely not an easy one, that’s for sure.
Three Cheese Trees
“Through three cheese trees three free fleas flew.”
A rapid switch between the “th” sound and the fricative clusters “fr” and “fl” makes this one of the most frustrating tongue twisters to learn.
Thrusting Fists
“Amidst the mists and coldest frosts, with stoutest wrists and loudest boasts, he thrusts his fists against the posts, and still insists he sees the ghosts.”
The constant shifting of vowels along with the repetition of “st,” “ts,” and “th” makes this quite the tongue twister — especially if you’re trying to pronounce the consonants clearly.
33 thieves
“The 33 thieves thought that they thrilled the throne throughout Thursday.”
Repeating the dental fricative “th” sound repeatedly tires out the tongue. When said quickly, it turns into just gibberish.
Shiny Susie
“I saw Susie sitting in a shoe shine shop. Where she sits, she shines, and where she shines, she sits.”
The speaker is challenged to skillfully switch between the soft “sh” sound in shoe, shine, and she, and the sharp hissy “s” sound in saw, Susie, and sits. It’s a classic consonant trap.
Flaky Fish
“A fried fresh lake’s fish filet’s flesh flakes.”
The challenge lies in quickly switching between “f,” “l,” and “sh” sounds and overlapping “s” sounds. The layered modifiers in “fried fresh fish filet’s flesh” demand precise lip movement; slip up, and your words get muddled.
Grip Top Sock
“Give me the gift of a grip top sock,
A dip-drape, ship-shape, tip-top sock,
Not your spiv-slick, slap-stick, slip-slop stock,
But a plastic elastic grip-top sock.
None of your fantastic slack swap-slop
From a slapdash, flash cash, haberdash shop.
Not a knick-knack, knit-lock, knock-kneed knickerbocker sock
With a mock-shot, blob-mottled trick tick-tocker clock.
Not a rucked-up, puckered-up flop-top sock,
Not a super-sheer, seersucker pukka sack-smock sock.
Not a spot speckled, frog-freckled, cheap sheik’s sock
Off a hotch-potch, moss-blotch, a botched Scotch block.
Nothing slip-slop, drip-drop, flip-flop, or clip-clop.
Tip me a tip-top grip-top sock.”
It’s a fact that you’ll need to take more than a few breaths while trying to say this massive English tongue twister. It’s probably one of the hardest on this list. The rhyme and consonant chaos make it feel like a song that forces the speaker to keep a grasp of rhythm while switching plosives.
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Tense Stout
“Send toast to ten tense stout saints’ ten tall tents.”
Challenge your tongue with this tongue twister, which is made up almost entirely of sounds produced at the alveolar ridge, also known as behind your front teeth. This makes it especially difficult to say the words quickly without them collapsing like dominoes.
Cinnamon Synonym
“A synonym for cinnamon is a cinnamon synonym.”
The nearly identical syllables trick your mouth into lagging behind your mind. The most challenging part, aside from sorting out the tricky spellings, of this unassuming yet surprisingly challenging tongue twister is saying the word “synonym” quickly.
Are You the Guy?
“Are you the guy that told the guy that I’m the guy that gave the guy the black eye. No, I’m not the guy that told the guy that you’re the guy that gave the guy the black eye.”
One of the most effective tongue twisters for improving your articulation features identical words with shifting roles, which can make your brain lose track mid-sentence. This one causes mental and verbal overload, leading the speaker to transpose words.
The Cheeky Monkey
“The cheeky monkey chattered ceaselessly, chomping on chewy chunks of cherries and chestnuts.”
The overlap of the “ch” and sibilant “s” sounds requires constant front-tongue adjustments. The most challenging part is the continuous switch between the affricate and the sibilant.
Free Throws
“He threw three free throws.”
This simple yet effective tongue twister demands strong control over tongue movement, especially when switching between “th” and “fr” seamlessly.
Doctor Doctor
“If one doctor doctors another doctor, does the doctor who doctors the doctor doctor the doctor the way the doctor he is doctoring doctors? Or does he doctor the doctor the way the doctor who doctors doctors?”
The repeated use of the word “doctor” is a hidden linguistic nightmare. This kind of syntactic recursion is tough, even for native speakers.
Race Horse One Two
“One-One was a racehorse; Two-Two was one, too. When One-One won one race one day, Two-Two won one, too.”
Scrambled sounds of similar numerals and words create the ultimate pronunciation challenge. The difference between words like “one” and “won,” and “two” and “too,” confuses both the ear and the mind.
Curd Pulled Cod
“Pad kid poured curd pulled cod.”
MIT researchers once identified this tongue twister as the hardest in English. An MIT psychologist told study participants, “If anyone can say this [phrase] ten times quickly, they get a prize,” but it turns out none of the volunteers could complete the challenge (via Business Insider).
It’s mainly difficult because of the quick switch between alveolar plosives and velar sounds.
A-rat-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-too
“What a to do to die today at a minute or two to two
a thing distinctly hard to say but harder still to do
for they’ll beat a tattoo at twenty to two
a-rat-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-too
for the dragon will come
when he hears the drum at a minute or two to two today
at a minute or two to two.”
The rhythmic beats of this tongue twister compel the tongue to follow a percussive tempo. Focusing on rhythm is essential to achieve fluency.
Billboard Bill
“Bill had a billboard.
Bill also had a board bill.
The board bill bored Bill, so Bill sold the billboard to pay the board bill.
Once Bill sold the billboard to pay the board bill, the board bill no longer bored Bill.”
The similar sounds of “bill,” “board,” and “bored” are near-homophones that cause mental confusion. It’s a good example of semantic déjà-vu that makes the speaker stumble over repetition patterns.
The Greedy Ape
“As he gobbled the cakes on his plate, the greedy ape said as he ate: The greener green grapes are, the keener keen apes are to gobble green grape cakes. They’re great!”
The widespread use of “gr” and “pl” consonants makes this difficult for the back of the mouth. It’s a simple tongue twister as long as you don’t have to say it quickly.
Bumbling Baby
“Bouncing baby bundles blissfully babble, burble, and beam, bringing boundless joy to beaming parents in their bumbling baby dream.”
A series of “b” sounds makes this one very difficult to say. The heavy alliteration is quite a challenge for the lips, especially when trying to keep the sounds distinct.
Luke Luck and His Duck
“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.”
The constant, rapid switching between “Luke,” “Luck,” and “licks” demands precise vowel control. One mistake, and the sentence confuses other English speakers.
Near an Ear
“Near an ear, a nearer ear, a nearly eerie ear.”
The similar sounds of “near,” “nearer,” and “nearly” create a homophonic overload. This sequence makes the tongue quickly change positions to produce the “n,” “r,” and “l” sounds, with a slight shift in the vowel.
Risky Whiskey
“Whisking the risky whiskey river with quivering whiskers.”
The mix of fricatives with “r” sounds, along with the very similar “whisking,” “risky,” and “whiskey,” is just pure chaos. It will truly leave you cursing the English language.
Ed
“Ed had edited it.”
Short but deadly. The alternating “ed” sounds, along with the quickly repeated short “e” and “i” vowels, cause the words to merge well before you can stop yourself.
Mr. See and Mr. Soar
“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.”
A challenging narrative to follow, especially with the confusion caused by the near-homophones “saw,” “soar,” and “sore,” which are easy to mix up. It’s truly one of the best long-form logic puzzles in English elocution.
Double Bubble Gum
“Double bubble gum, bubbles double.”
The alternation of the “buh” and “bl” syllables creates a pattern that can become difficult to control when you increase the speed.
Menagerie Manager
“Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager managing an imaginary menagerie.”
The repetition of the polysyllabic word “imaginary” and the nightmare word for a spelling bee contestant, “menagerie,” demands a high level of articulation. The identical rhythm inevitably causes your tongue to stumble halfway through.
Chopstick Shops
“Top chopstick shops stock top chopsticks.”
The quick switching between the “p,” “st,” and “k” sounds, which are made in different parts of the mouth, along with the rapid sequence of “sh” and “ch” sounds, creates a real phonetic challenge.
Thermal Thicket of Thorns
“Something in a thirty-acre thermal thicket of thorns and thistles
thumped and thundered, threatening the three-D thoughts of Matthew the thug –
although theatrically, it was only the thirteen-thousand thistles
and thorns through the underneath of his thigh
that the thirty-year-old thug thought of that morning.”
A marathon of dental fricative (“th”) sounds completely exhausts the tongue and makes clear articulation nearly impossible, even for expert English speakers. One requires continuous airflow precision to master this consonant jumble.
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