Say These Tongue Twisters If You Can!
Sure, you might have mastered some of the more commonly known tongue twisters, but you probably haven't challenged yourself to say more than one at a time. After all, these tricky, nonsensical phrases don't just tie your tongue into knots—they can also hurt your brain. But if you're ready to put your pronunciation skills to the test, here are the 20 toughest tongue twisters to say in the English language.
1. Sally Sells Seashells By the Seashore
Perhaps one of the most well-known tongue twisters in the English language is "Sally sells seashells by the seashore". Unless you're great at switching between all the different 's' sounds and pronouncing them clearly (sorry, people with lisps), this phrase will get you muddled quickly.
2. Fuzzy Wuzzy Was a Bear
"Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear. Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair. Fuzzy Wuzzy wasn’t very fuzzy, was he"? Can you say the whole thing in one go without pausing and correcting yourself? Hopefully you can—or else Fuzzy Wuzzy the bear will be disappointed.
3. How Can a Clam Cram in a Clean Cream Can?
If reading this tongue twister isn't enough to confuse your brain, saying it out loud sure will. We suggest having one person attempt this perfectly 10 times in a row while someone else crams clams into a can. Who will be faster?
4. How Much Wood Could a Woodchuck Chuck?
Another popular tongue twister is:
"How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood"? Sure, maybe you've tried saying it so many times you're practically an expert by now, but have you tried saying it 10 times fast? Twenty times fast? We bet you can't.
5. I Slit the Sheet
This tongue twister again requires excellent 's' pronunciation, which means people with lisps (you know who you are) will probably struggle. But don't let us stop you. Try it for yourself: "I slit the sheet, the sheet I slit, and on the slitted sheet I sit".
6. She Stood On the Balcony
Have you ever inexplicably mimicked someone hiccupping while amicably welcoming them in? We sure haven't. But who says tongue twisters need to make perfect sense? The person who made this one definitely didn't care: "She stood on the balcony, inexplicably mimicking him hiccupping and amicably welcoming him in".
7. The Sixth Sick Sheikh’s Sixth Sheep’s Sick
Did reading that give you a headache? Don't worry—that makes two of us. If your mouth isn't tired of working overtime saying all these tongue twisters yet (we're only seven in), then this one might just make you throw in the towel: "The sixth sick sheikh’s sixth sheep’s sick".
8. Pad Kid Poured Curd Pulled Cod
According to Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers, "Pad kid poured curd pulled cod" is the world's hardest tongue twister to say. Willing to challenge that?
Try saying it once at normal speed, then pick up the pace.
9. Is It Harder to Toot?
"A tutor who tooted the flute tried to teach two young tooters to toot. Said the two to the tutor, ‘Is it harder to toot, or to tutor two tooters to toot"? We're sure hoping no tooting tutors were hurt in the making of this ridiculously nonsensical sentence.
10. Brisk Brave Brigadiers
"Brisk brave brigadiers brandished broad bright blades, blunderbusses, and bludgeons—balancing them badly". Now say it again. We're pretty sure you can't get past the first few words without your eye twitching—and your brain malfunctioning.
11. A Skunk Sat On a Stump
Have you ever seen a skunk on a stump? If you have (or haven't), here's what might happen: "A skunk sat on a stump and thunk the stump stunk, but the stump thunk the skunk stunk". That would certainly be one stinky stump.
12. Cross a Coarse, Cross Cow
"If you must cross a coarse, cross cow across a crowded cow crossing, cross the cross, coarse cow across the crowded cow crossing carefully". We're again hoping no cows were hurt in the making of this tongue twister. We also think it's probably best not to cross anything again, ever.
13. Imaginary Menagerie
"Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager managing an imaginary menagerie". It's probably easier to imagine this scene than to actually say the sentence, but what are tongue twisters for if not for tickling and confusing the brain?
zoosnow on Pexels 14. Doctor
We don't even know what to say for this one. Just try it: "When a doctor doctors a doctor, does the doctor doing the doctoring doctor as the doctor being doctored wants to be doctored or does the doctor doing the doctoring doctor as he wants to doctor"?
15. Unique New York
Have you ever been to the Big Apple? Well, here's a fun saying to teach all your New York friends: "You know New York, you need New York, you know you need unique New York". In true New Yorker fashion, they'll probably just walk away.
16. Ingenious Iguanas
Iguanas playing instruments wasn't something we ever thought we needed to see, but now we can't stop imagining it. Maybe if we say this tongue twister fast enough, we'll manifest the experience: "Ingenious iguanas improvising an intricate impromptu on impossibly-impractical instruments".
17. Rory the Warrior and Roger the Worrier
"Rory the warrior and Roger the worrier were reared wrongly in a rural brewery". Both Rory and Roger are too busy having fun to care about attempting this tongue twister based on them. If you had a drink yourself, you probably wouldn't be able to say this, either.
18. Six Sick Hicks
"Six sick hicks nick six slick bricks with picks and sticks". Ouch. Pretty sure those aren't bricks those hicks just nicked, but our last two brain cells.
This one really tests your ability to pronounce your 's' and 'k' sounds perfectly, so go wild challenging yourself.
19. English... Why?
"English can be understood through tough thorough thought, though". It's not enough that English has enough homonyms (two, to, too; there, their, they're) and heteronyms (read, read; tear, tear), it also has to make words with nearly the same spelling have completely different sounds. What's up with that?
20. Cinnamon Synonym
"A synonym for cinnamon is a cinnamon synonym". Did you know there aren't any synonyms for cinnamon? You probably don't—and you're likely now too focused on trying to perfect this tongue twister that you don't even care.
