50 Tongue Twisters For Improving Diction

January 25, 2018

Tongue twisters are a great way to improve diction, AND they are fun!  My students have enjoyed great results and improvements to their singing and speaking diction due to practicing tongue twisters every day. I usually assign one new tongue twister a week.  When we run out, we make them up based on the lyrics of the current songs they are working on, or based on the season (Christmas, Easter) etc.

While scouring the web, I noticed that a lot of the lists are the same (I'm assuming since tongue twisters are not copyrighted) and a label of "for kids" or "for adults" is tacked on at the end.  Since both kids and adults speak English, I think it's safe to say this is a good list for everyone, no matter the age! ;) However, with very young children, I recommend simplifying the tongue twister. For example, instead of "Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear. Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair. Fuzzy Wuzzy wasn’t fuzzy, was he?" I might have a very young child only practice "Fuzzy Wuzzy."

Here is a somewhat phonetically alphabetized list of tongue twisters.  Maybe next time I will sort it out by difficulty or make a chart with the IPA symbols.  Let me know if that interests you - or if you have any more tongue twisters you'd like to share?  I'm also considering of compiling a list of the "dangerous" tongue twisters, where, if you mess up, you might find yourself cursing.  All the more reason to clean up your diction! Have fun.

50 Tongue Twisters for Improving Diction

  1. 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
  2. A big black bear sat on a big black rug
  3. Black back bat (x3)
  4. How can a clam cram in a clean cream can?
  5. Can you can a can as a canner can can a can?
  6. Eddie edited it (x3)
  7. Ed had edited it. (x3)
  8. Fred fed Ted bread, and Ted fed Fred bread
  9. Four fine fresh fish for you
  10. Good blood, bad blood (x3)
  11. I saw a kitten eating chicken in the kitchen
  12. If a dog chews shoes, whose shoes does he choose?
  13. So, this is the sushi chef
  14. She sees cheese (x3)
  15. Nine nice night nurses nursing nicely
  16. 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?
  17. Near an ear, a nearer ear, a nearly eerie ear
  18. Willie’s really weary
  19. Which wristwatches are Swiss wristwatches?
  20. Rolling red wagons (x3)
  21. Truly rural (x3)
  22. She sells seashells by the seashore
  23. We surely shall see the sun shine soon
  24. I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream
  25. 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
  26. Six sticky skeletons (x3)
  27. Six slippery snails, slid slowly seaward.
  28. Pre-shrunk silk shirts (x3)
  29. I slit the sheet, the sheet I slit, and on the slitted sheet I sit
  30. Stupid superstition (x3)
  31. Tom threw Tim three thumbtacks He threw three free throws
  32. Two tried and true tridents (x3)
  33. Toy phone (x3)
  34. I thought I thought of thinking of thanking you
  35. A skunk sat on a stump and thunk the stump stunk, but the stump thunk the skunk stunk
  36. I wish to wash my Irish wristwatch
  37. Wayne went to wales to watch walruses
  38. Which witch is which? (x3)
  39. 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
  40. Of all the vids I’ve ever viewed, I’ve never viewed a vid as valued as Alex’s engVid vid
  41. Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear. Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair. Fuzzy Wuzzy wasn’t fuzzy, was he?
  42. Lesser leather never weathered wetter weather better
  43. I have got a date at a quarter to eight; I’ll see you at the gate, so don’t be late
  44. You know New York, you need New York, you know you need unique New York
  45. Snap crackle pop (x3)
  46. Flash message (x3)
  47. Red Buick, blue Buick (x3)
  48. Red lorry, yellow lorry (x3)
  49. Thin sticks, thick bricks (x3)
  50. Eleven benevolent elephants (x3)
Learn more tricks and tips for improving your singing here.