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Tongue twisters are a fun method to practise pronouncing words and improve English fluency. They can also aid with accent improvement by employing alliteration, which is the repeating of a single syllable.
They’re not just for youngsters; actors, politicians, and motivational speakers who wish to communicate clearly use them as well. Some of the most common English tongue twisters are listed here. You will be a much more charismatic speaker if you can perfect them.
Let’s begin with the definition of tongue twisters in english.
What are Tongue Twisters in English?
In English, a tongue twister is a statement or group of words that is difficult to pronounce correctly. Children enjoy tongue twisters and will dare their pals to say them quickly many times in a row.
Tongue twisters are a fun technique for English learners to practise on one or two consonants at a time to perfect their pronunciation. Slowly recite the tongue twister at first, then attempt to speed it up. Once you’ve mastered a tongue twister, try saying it again or three times in succession for a more difficult task.
English Tongue Twisters Examples
Try out these English tongue twisters now:
# 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?# Betty Botter bought some butter
But she said the butter’s bitter
If I put it in my batter, it will make my batter bitter
But a bit of better butter will make my batter better
So ‘twas better Betty Botter bought a bit of better butter# How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
He would chuck, he would, as much as he could, and chuck as much wood
As a woodchuck would if a woodchuck could chuck wood# She sells seashells by the seashore
# How can a clam cram in a clean cream can?
# I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream
Tongue Twisters in English for Students Set One
I saw Susie sitting in a shoeshine shop
Susie works in a shoeshine shop. Where she shines she sits, and where she sits she shines
Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear. Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair. Fuzzy Wuzzy wasn’t fuzzy, was he?
Can you can a can as a canner can can a can?
I have got a date at a quarter to eight; I’ll see you at the gate, so don’t be late
You know New York, you need New York, you know you need unique New York
I saw a kitten eating chicken in the kitchen
If a dog chews shoes, whose shoes does he choose?
I thought I thought of thinking of thanking you
I wish to wash my Irish wristwatch
See Also50 Tongue Twisters in English | FluentU English Blog105 top English tongue twisters that you'll have fun trying to say100 Best English Tongue Twisters to Perfect PronunciationTongue Twisters: 65 Popular Tongue Twisters to Improve Your Pronunciation - English Study OnlineNear an ear, a nearer ear, a nearly eerie ear
Eddie edited it
Tongue Twisters in English for Students Set Two
Willie’s really weary
A big black bear sat on a big black rug
Tom threw Tim three thumbtacks
He threw three free throws
Nine nice night nurses nursing nicely
So, this is the sushi chef
Four fine fresh fish for you
Wayne went to wales to watch walruses
Six sticky skeletons (x3)
Which witch is which? (x3)
Snap crackle pop (x3)
Flash message (x3)
Red Buick, blue Buick (x3)
Red lorry, yellow lorry (x3)
Thin sticks, thick bricks (x3)
Stupid superstition (x3)
Eleven benevolent elephants (x3)
Two tried and true tridents (x3)
Rolling red wagons (x3)
Black back bay (x3)
She sees cheese (x3)
Tongue Twisters in English for Students Set Three
Truly rural (x3)
Good blood, bad blood (x3)
Pre-shrunk silk shirts (x3)
Ed had edited it. (x3)
We surely shall see the sun shine soon
Which wristwatches are Swiss wristwatches?
Fred fed Ted bread, and Ted fed Fred bread
I slit the sheet, the sheet I slit, and on the slitted sheet I sit
A skunk sat on a stump and thunk the stump stunk, but the stump thunk the skunk stunk
Lesser leather never weathered wetter weather better
Of all the videos I’ve ever viewed, I’ve never viewed a video as valued as Alex’s engVid vid
Also Read: Daily English Conversation Dialogues: Category Wise Dialogues for Everyday Conversations
Tongue Twisters in English
Read the table below for some easy, medium and hard tongue twisters in English explained.
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Tongue Twisters in English Easy
Red lorry, yellow lorry.
Sheep should sleep in a shed.
She sees cheese.
Zebras zig and zebras zag.
The blue bluebird blinks.
Four fine fresh fish for you.
He threw three balls.
Greek grapes, Greek grapes, Greek grapes.
Lucky rabbits like to cause a ruckus.
Cooks cook cupcakes quickly.
A big black bear sat on a big black rug.
Rory’s lawn rake rarely rakes really right.
Kitty caught the kitten in the kitchen.
We surely shall see the sunshine soon.
Six slimy snails slid slowly seaward
Also Read: Spoken English vs Written English
Tongue Twisters in English Medium
Four furious friends fought for the phone.
Which wristwatches are Swiss wristwatches?
Seventy-seven benevolent elephants.
Six sleek swans swam swiftly southwards.
Betty’s big bunny bobbled by the blueberry bush.
Pad kid poured curd pulled cod
Brisk brave brigadiers brandished broad bright blades, blunderbusses, and bludgeons—balancing them badly
If you must cross a course cross cow across a crowded cow crossing, cro
ss the cross coarse cow across the crowded cow crossing carefully
How can a clam cram in a clean cream can?
Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager managing an imaginary menagerie
Send toast to ten tense stout saints’ ten tall tents
Hard English Tongue Twisters
Rory the warrior and Roger the worrier were reared wrongly in a rural brewery
Six sick hicks nick six slick bricks with picks and sticks
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
The thirty-three thieves thought that they thrilled the throne throughout Thursday
The sixth sick sheik’s sixth sheep’s sick.’
Can you can a canned can into an un-canned can like a canner can can a canned can into an un-canned can
Thirty-three thirsty, thundering thoroughbreds thumped Mr. Thurber on Thursday
Six sleek swans swam swiftly southwards
Benefits of Tongue Twisters
Strengthen and Stretch the Muscles That Help You Speak
This muscle workout improves your pronunciation, speaking patterns, and helps you correct some of your most difficult consonants. They’re also entertaining, which makes mastering pronunciation which may be tedious more pleasurable. You may also look out tongue twister poetry for extra practise and a better mouth exercise.
Show You Which Sounds are Challenging for You
Some sounds will be more difficult for you than others, based on your original language and your particular skills and weaknesses. Tongue twisters might help you identify the sounds you’re having trouble with. You may find yourself repeating the same sound; this is a hint that you should concentrate on that sound.
Furthermore, you may be conscious of sounds that are difficult for you. Korean and Japanese speakers, for instance, have trouble with the l and r sounds. So you’re aware that you need to improve these noises.
Terrific Way to Warm Up
Tongue twisters are a wonderful warm-up exercise for making a presentation, speaking in public, teaching a class, leading a meeting, acting, and more, even whether you’re a native speaker or have mastered English pronunciation.
Also Read: 7 Frequently Used English Phrases
Tips to Improve Pronunciation in English
Listen
The most apparent technique to enhance your own pronunciation is to listen to samples of real speech. There are several methods to achieve this, like watching a movie in its original form, listening to webinars in English on subjects that interest you, and even listening to music. Try to pay attention to how others speak.
‘Shadowing’ can be used to add to this. Shadowing is listening to a brief phrase or sentence and then reciting it while imitating the sounds, tone, and word stress, as well as observing how your lips and tongue move while speaking.
Record Yourself
You may videotape yourself speaking after you’ve practised shadowing, either repeating a brief word you’ve heard or undertaken a larger speaking activity from a coursebook, such as describing a picture.
Listen again and make a note of any tones that you struggle with; gently practise these words/sounds before recording yourself again.
Get to Know The Phonemic Chart
The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is a diagram that depicts various sounds. It may appear unusual and feel as if you’re learning a foreign language, but it may significantly improve your pronunciation. Every dictionary includes a phonetic transcription of words so you may learn how to pronounce them.
This is especially useful in English, because, as we’ve seen, English spelling does not necessarily correlate to pronunciation. Consider the letters ‘ough’ in words like ‘through, through, harsh,’ and ‘ought.’ Without any assistance, it would be hard to predict how to pronounce such words.
Use a Dictionary
There are several online dictionaries where you may click and listen to the word being uttered, in addition to physical dictionaries that provide a phonetic transcription of a word.
Howjsay is a particularly fantastic one; even the website’s name is a helpful guide to pronouncing the popular inquiry ‘How do you say…?’ in a natural manner. It’s a fantastic tool for determining how new words sound.
Do Some Exercise
Distinct languages produce different sounds, which our mouths adjust to. Because some sounds do not exist in our native language, they are physically challenging for us to produce. It’s necessary to teach your lips to know how to produce new sounds, much like you would while learning a new sport or dancing routine. The more you practise, the simpler it becomes.
Know Your Minimal Pairs
Minimal pairings are words that have almost identical pronunciations but differ in one sound – for instance, ship and sheep. The pitch of the vowel distinguishes the /I/ in ‘ship’ from the /i:/ in ‘sheep.’ Many language learners find this difficult to hear, and it appears in a variety of terms. The first stage is to be able to distinguish between sounds when they are heard.
Conclusion
Tongue twisters increase pronunciation and speaking clarity by strengthening the muscles required for optimal speech while practising accurate tongue, lip, and tooth positioning. So go ahead and practise those tough tongue twisters.
Begin by reading slowly and gradually increase your pace as you get more comfortable. Try looking in the mirror to notice how your mouth is shaped and where your tongue is placed. Then attempt to recite it as quickly as you can without stumbling.
If you are looking for a platform where you can pratoe and get better in spoken English, try The Fluent Life!
Also Read: Daily Use of English Sentences in Conversations: Spoken English Sentences for Everyday
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