Tongue twisters are one of the best ways to show kids that you can have fun with language. Make silly sounds, come up with clever rhymes, and collapse with laughter when you get them wrong. And just for fun, see who can say them faster and faster until it all becomes just gibberish. (Looking for another fun language game with the kids? Teach them all about palindrome sentences and blow their minds.)
But if you really want to twist your kid’s brains, start off with the most challenging tongue twister: “Pad kid poured curd pulled cod.” If your mouth can get through that 10 times fast, the twisters below will be no match for you. The most popular tongue twister is, “How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?” and the easiest one is, “I scream, you scream, we all scream, for ice cream!” Besides being a lot of fun and a party in your mouth, tongue twisters are a great form of exercise. They can improve pronunciation and strengthen and stretch your mouth and facial muscles. It’s also an excellent way to figure out which words you struggle to pronounce.
From the classic to the super hard, here are over 100, clean and kid-friendly tongue twisters to try with your lovely little linguist. When you’re done with these, why not try to come up with your own?
Easy Tongue Twisters
She sells sea shells by the seashore.
I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream.
A proper copper coffee pot.
Six sticky skeletons.
Which witch is which?
Elizabeth has eleven elves in her elm tree.
Seventy-seven benevolent elephants.
Willie’s really weary.
Wayne went to wales to watch walruses.
Six slimy snails sailed silently.
Octopus ocular optics.
Double bubble gum, bubbles double.
A shapeless sash sags slowly.
Crisp crusts crackle and crunch.
Susie sits shining silver shoes.
I wish you were a fish in my dish.
Truly rural.
Stupid superstition.
Three fluffy feathers fell from Phoebe’s flimsy fan.
She should shun the shinning sun.
Cooks cook cupcakes quickly.
I saw a kitten eating chicken in the kitchen.
She sees cheese.
Roberta ran rings around the Roman ruins.
A bragging baker baked black bread.
Pre-shrunk shirts.
Purple Paper People.
Red Bulb Blue Bulb.
Rubber baby buggy bumpers.
Knapsack straps.
Specific Pacific.
Rolling red wagons.
Eleven benevolent elephants.
Two tried and true tridents.
Zebras zig and zebras zag.
Kitten in the kitchen.
He threw three balls.
Santa’s short suit shrunk.
Supposed to be pistachio.
Four furious friends fought for the phone.
The queen in green screamed.
How can a clam cram in a clean cream can?
I like New York, unique New York, I like unique New York.
Toy boat, toy boat, toy boat.
Friendly fleas and fireflies.
Medium Tongue Twisters
Nine nice night nurses nursing nicely.
Smelly shoes and socks shock sisters.
Six slippery snails, slid slowly seaward.
Sounding by sound is a sound method of sounding sounds.
I saw a saw that could out saw any other saw I ever saw.
A big bug bit the little beetle but the little beetle bit the big bug back.
A sailor went to sea to see, what he could see. And all he could see Was sea, sea, sea.
If a dog chews shoes, whose shoes does he choose?
How many yaks could a yak pack, pack if a yak pack could pack yaks?
Gobbling gargoyles gobbled gobbling goblins.
Round the rugged rocks the ragged rascals ran.
Fred fed Ted bread and Ted fed Fred bread.
Which wristwatches are Swiss wristwatches?
Six thick thistle sticks. Six thick thistles stick.
The cat catchers can’t catch caught cats.
Little Lillian lets lazy lizards lie along the lily pads
Each Easter Eddie eats eighty Easter eggs.
Green glass globes glow greenly.
Twelve twins twirled twelve twigs.
Bake big batches of bitter brown bread.
Five frantic frogs fled from fifty fierce fishes.
The great Greek grape growers grow great Greek grapes.
Six socks sit in a sink, soaking in soap suds.
Slimy snake slithered down the sandy Sahara.
A noisy noise annoys an oyster.
Shave a single shingle thin.
Near an ear, a nearer ear, a nearly eerie ear.
Fresh French fried fly fritter.
On a lazy laser raiser lies a laser ray eraser.
The sixth sick sheik’s sixth sheep’s sick.
Tom threw Tim three thumbtacks.
I thought I thought of thinking of thanking you.
We surely shall see the sun shine soon.
Scissors sizzle, thistles sizzle.
Two tiny tigers take two taxis to town.
He threw three free throws.
If two witches would watch two watches, which witch would watch which watch?
Black bug bleeds black blood; what color blood does a blue bug bleed?
Hard Tongue Twisters
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 that Peter Piper picked?
Betty Botter bought a bit of butter but the bit of butter was too bitter, so Betty bought a better bit of butter to make the bitter butter better.
Can you can a can as a canner can can a can?
Many an anemone sees an enemy anemone.
How much wood would a woodchuck chuck, If a woodchuck could chuck wood? A woodchuck would chuck as much wood as a woodchuck would, if a woodchuck could chuck wood.
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.
Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager managing an imaginary menagerie.
A synonym for cinnamon is a cinnamon synonym.
If one doctor doctors another doctor, then which doctor is doctoring the doctored 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?
Denise sees the fleece, Denise sees the fleas. At least Denise could sneeze And feed and freeze the fleas.
Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear, Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair, FuzzyWuzzy wasn’t very fuzzy, was he?
Six sick hicks nick six slick bricks with picks and sticks.
Susie works in a shoeshine shop. Where she shines she sits, And where she sits she shines.
Thirty-three thirsty, thundering thoroughbreds thumped Mr. Thurber on Thursday.
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.
Lesser leather never weathered wetter weather better.
Does your sport shop stock short socks with spots?
Three thin thinkers thinking thick thoughtful thoughts.
I slit the sheet, the sheet I slit, and on the slitted sheet I sit.
If you notice this notice, you will notice that this notice is not worth noticing.
A skunk sat on a stump and thunk the stump stunk, but the stump thunk the skunk stunk.
Irish wristwatch, Swiss wristwatch.
Three thin thieves thought a thousand thoughts. Now, if three thousand thoughts thunk, how many thoughts would the three thin thieves think?
Fifty-five fierce fish frying fast.
Pad kid poured curd pulled cold.
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