Tongue twisters help with fluency, pronunciation, and natural linking sounds. They are a great way to begin a class with some jump and can be fun for students who have trouble with specific sounds. This section has a varied collection of original, modified, and classic tongue twisters.
What to do
Simply write a tongue twister on the board or overhead and let students do their best at saying them. You can try giving them an example yourself or check out our speaking section for full, easy-access audio of all the tongue twisters listed here.
Tips
- Focus on lip movement and articulation. Linking sounds together often makes tongue twisters harder to say.
- Practice ahead of time so you know what you’re doing, but don’t be afraid to make mistakes!
- Having a quick competition between brave students can be fun (be sure to praise their efforts).
- Use these tongue twisters to help springboard into pronunciation classes.
Selected Tongue Twisters
Philip’s flip-flops
We reweave rips
A rubber lover’s mother blubbers
The Pacific is a specific ocean
Truly rural ruler
Private pirates pilot private pirate ships
Red lorry yellow lorry
Which wristwatches are Swiss wristwatches?
A skunk sat on a stump and thunk the stump stunk
But the stump thunk the skunk stunk
The sixth sick sheik’s sixth sheep’s sick
Girl gargoyle guy gargoyle
Six smart sharp sharks
She sells seashells on the seashore
Give Papa a proper cup of coffee
In a proper copper coffee cup
Gary’s gut grossly grew gooey glue
How much wood would a woodchuck chuck
If a woodchuck could chuck wood?
Double bubble gum bubbles double
She said she should sit
Betty Botter had some butter
But her butter was bitter
To bake that bitter butter
Would make her batter bitter
So Betty Botter bought some better butter
And the better butter made her batter better!
I’m a mother pheasant plucker
I pluck mother pheasants
I’m the most pleasant mother pheasant plucker
Who ever plucked a mother pheasant
A big bug bit a bold bald bear
and the bold bald bear bled blood badly