A tongue-twister is a phrase that is designed to be difficult to articulate properly, and can be used as a type of spoken (or sung) word game. Some tongue-twisters produce results that are humorous (or humorously vulgar) when they are mispronounced, while others simply rely on the confusion and mistakes of the speaker for their amusement value. Tongue-twisters may rely on rapid alternation between similar but distinct phonemes combining two different alternation patterns, familiar constructs in loan words, or other featuresof a spoken language in order to be difficult to articulate.
Examples of Tongue-Twisters
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.
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.
Six sharp smart sharks.
Black back bat.
Lesser leather never weathered wetter weather better.
A little black bug bit a big black bear, made the big black bear bleed blood.
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.
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.
Cheap ship trip.
Lesser leather never weathered wetter weather better.
Six slick slim sick sycamore saplings.
A noisy noise annoys an oyster.
Shep Schwab shopped at Scott's Schnapps shop;
One shot of Scott's Schnapps stopped Schwab's watch.
One shot of Scott's Schnapps stopped Schwab's watch.
Friendly Frank flips fine flapjacks.
Irish wristwatch.
Six slippery snails slid slowly on seaweed.
A proper copper coffee pot.
The sixth sitting sheet slitter slit six sheet.
How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if the woodchuck could chuck wood.
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.