Often when kids try saying tongue twisters, the results are pretty hilarious. They’re designed to help us train our tongues to say tricky things. While they can be a fantastic source of amusement, they’re also a great tool for the classroom and for speech therapy.
Below you’ll learn more about the educational benefits of tongue twisters along with plenty of ideas for using them in the classroom. And we’ve compiled a big list of tongue twisters for kids to share with your students!
Jump to:
- What are tongue twisters?
- What are the educational benefits of tongue twisters?
- How are tongue twisters for kids used in speech therapy?
- Short Tongue Twisters
- Funny Tongue Twisters
- Famous Tongue Twisters
- Easy Tongue Twisters
- Long Tongue Twisters
- Hard Tongue Twisters
- /r/ Tongue Twisters
- /s/ Tongue Twisters
- /t/ Tongue Twisters
- /th/ Tongue Twisters
What are tongue twisters?
Tongue twisters are phrases or sentences that are designed to be challenging to pronounce, especially when spoken quickly. They often contain a sequence of similar or closely related sounds, which can trip up the tongue and lead to humorous mispronunciation.
The goal of tongue twisters is to test and improve pronunciation and speech fluency. They are also a fun form of wordplay and a popular tool for language learners, actors, and public speakers to enhance their diction and articulation.
What are the educational benefits of tongue twisters?
Aside from being fun, tongue twisters offer several educational benefits, particularly in the areas of language and speech development. Some teachers also use tongue twisters to enhance second-language lessons. They can be a useful resource for language learners interested in exploring new languages and their unique phonetic challenges. Here are some of the other educational advantages of using tongue twisters.
Improve pronunciation
Tongue twisters often contain challenging sounds and sequences of sounds, which help students practice and improve their pronunciation and articulation.
Enhance phonemic awareness
Tongue twisters require kids to be highly aware of individual sounds in words. This heightened phonemic awareness can improve reading and spelling skills.
Boost vocabulary
Tongue twisters frequently use uncommon or unusual words, introducing learners to new vocabulary and encouraging language exploration.
Enhance speech fluency
Regular practice with tongue twisters can help kids speak more fluently and confidently.
Develop clearer speech
Using tongue twisters can help individuals develop clear and precise speech patterns, which is useful for public speaking, acting, and communication in general.
Enhance memory and cognitive skills
Memorizing and reciting tongue twisters can improve memory and cognitive skills, as it requires the repetition of complex phrases.
Effective language teaching tool
Teachers often use tongue twisters in the classroom to make language lessons more interactive and enjoyable. They can be a valuable tool for teaching phonics, phonetics, and pronunciation.
How are tongue twisters for kids used in speech therapy?
Speech therapists incorporate tongue twisters for speech therapy because of their specific benefits in boosting various speech and language skills. They provide a structured and engaging way to target various aspects of speech and communication, making therapy more effective and enjoyable for kids of all ages. Here are some examples of how tongue twisters are used for speech therapy:
Articulation practice
Speech therapists use tongue twisters to target specific speech sounds that need improvement. Repetitive practice of these sounds in a controlled context helps kids develop better articulation skills.
Phonological awareness
Tongue twisters require kids to be highly aware of individual sounds and their positions in words. This enhances phonological awareness, which is crucial for speech and literacy development.
Fluency enhancement
For kids who stutter or have fluency disorders, tongue twisters can be used to improve speech fluency. Practicing tongue twisters can help individuals develop smoother, more controlled speech patterns and reduce stuttering.
Motor coordination
Tongue twisters often require precise and coordinated movements of the tongue, lips, and other speech organs.
Articulatory strengthening
Some tongue twisters involve rapid and repetitive tongue and lip movements, which can strengthen the muscles used in speech production. This can be helpful for individuals with weak oral musculature.
Auditory discrimination
Tongue twisters encourage individuals to listen carefully to the sounds they produce. This helps improve auditory discrimination skills, allowing individuals to differentiate between similar sounds.
Home practice
Speech therapists often recommend tongue twisters as homework exercises. This encourages individuals to practice their speech and language skills independently between therapy sessions.
Short Tongue Twisters for Kids
Red lorry, yellow lorry.
Unique New York.
Big black bugs.
Santa’s short suit shrunk.
Irish wristwatch.
She sees cheese.
Double bubble gum, bubbles double.
Stupid superstition.
Fresh french-fried fly fritters.
Red Buick, blue Buick.
Rudder valve reversals.
Eleven benevolent elephants.
Flash place.
The black bat’s back.
Greet with glee.
Flashy fish massage.
Pirates’ private plank.
Ed had edited it.
She threw three balls.
Daddy draws doors.
Specific Pacific.
Argyle gargoyle.
Selfish shellfish.
Russian Rob runs.
Stop, said Sid.
Sheena leads, Sheila needs.
Funny Tongue Twisters
I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!
If a dog chews shoes, whose shoes does he choose to chew?
How much caramel can a canny cannonball cram in a camel if a canny cannonball can cram caramel in a camel?
Smelly shoes and socks shock sisters.
A big black bug bit a big black dog.
A skunk sat on a stump and thunk the stump stunk, but the stump thunk the skunk stunk.
I saw a kitten eating chicken in the kitchen.
Six sticky skeletons.
Gobbling gargoyles gobbled gobbling goblins.
If colored caterpillars could change their colors constantly, could they keep their colored coat colored properly?
One-One was one racehorse. Two-Two was one too. One-One won one race. Two-Two won one too.
There was a fisherman named Fisher who fished for some fish in a fissure. Till a fish with a grin pulled the fisherman in. Now they’re fishing the fissure for Fisher.
Yellow butter, purple jelly, red jam, black bread, spread it thick, say it quick.
Pirates’ private property chest.
If Stu chews shoes, should Stu choose the shoes he chews?
Ned Nott was shot and Sam Shott was not, so is it better to be Shott than Nott?
Chester Cheetah chews a chunk of cheap cheddar.
Fred fed Ted bread, and Ted fed Fred bread.
A snake sneaks to seek a snack.
The great Greek grape growers grow great Greek grapes.
I was born on a short, shiny ship at shore.
Birdie birdie in the sky laid a turdie in my eye.
Five frantic frogs fled from 50 fierce fish.
Did Dick Dickens prick his pinkie picking cheap pickles?
How many cans can a cannibal nibble if a cannibal can nibble cans? As many cans as a cannibal can nibble if a cannibal can nibble cans.
Famous Tongue Twisters
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. How many pickled peppers did Peter Piper pick?
Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear, Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair. Then Fuzzy Wuzzy wasn’t fuzzy, was he?
I thought a thought, but the thought I thought wasn’t the thought I thought I thought. If the thought I thought I thought had been the thought I thought, I wouldn’t have thought so much.
She sells seashells by the seashore, and the shells she sells by the seashore are seashells for sure.
If Stu chews shoes, should Stu choose the shoes he chews?
Round and round the rugged rock the ragged rascal ran.
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 scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!
Easy Tongue Twisters for Kids
A black bug bleeds black blood. What color blood does a blue bug bleed?
He threw three balls.
Eddie edited it.
Mommy made me eat my M&Ms.
Busy buzzing bumblebees.
Big nose, big blows.
Friendly fleas and fireflies.
Popular peppers popping.
Sing, ping, sling, piling.
Splish, splash, splosh went the dog in the wash.
Bella laughed till she barfed.
What a terrible tongue twister.
Annie and Andy’s April anniversary.
How many cookies could a good cook cook if a good cook could cook cookies?
Two tried-and-true tridents.
Loose lips, long licks.
Four furious friends fought for the phone.
Great glass globes glow greenly.
Stanley stands sadly on the steep steps.
The queen in green screams.
Bears breathe blackberries.
Rubber rudders bounce.
A happy hippo hopped and hiccupped.
Long Tongue Twisters
She sells seashells by the seashore, and the shells she sells are surely seashells. So if she sells shells on the seashore, I’m sure she sells seashore shells.
Whether the weather be fine or whether the weather be not, whether the weather be cold or whether the weather be hot, we’ll weather the weather whatever the weather, whether we like it or not.
Betty Botter bought some butter, but she said, “This 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 she bought a bit of butter better than her bitter butter and put it in her batter, and her batter was not bitter. So ’twas better Betty Botter bought a bit of better butter.
Hard Tongue Twisters
Dark dusty disks.
Shut up the shutters and sit in the shop.
If you must cross a course cross cow across a crowded cow crossing, cross the cross coarse cow across the crowded cow crossing carefully.
Seven sleazy shysters in sharkskin suits sold sheared sealskins to seasick sailors.
Send toast to 10 tense stout saints’ 10 tall tents.
Brisk brave brigadiers brandished broad bright blades, blunderbusses, and bludgeons—balancing them badly.
Sort three short sword sheaths.
Wide right turns.
Rugged rubber baby buggy bumpers.
Shave a single shingle thin.
The 33 thieves thought that they thrilled the throne throughout Thursday.
Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager managing an imaginary menagerie.
Rory the warrior and Roger the worrier were reared wrongly in a rural brewery.
Supposed to be pink pistachio, supposed to be pistachio pink.
Six sleek swans swam swiftly southwards.
Thirty-three thirsty thundering thoroughbreds thumped Mr. Thurber on Thursday.
I slit a sheet, a sheet I slit. Upon the slitted sheet I sit.
Six sick hicks nick six slick bricks with picks and sticks.
To begin to toboggan, first buy a toboggan, but don’t buy too big a toboggan. Too big a toboggan is too big a toboggan to buy to begin to toboggan.
Opposite octopus ocular optics.
/r/ Tongue Twisters
Red roses round the rugged rock.
Rory the roaring roarer rose rapidly and ran.
Rubber baby buggy bumpers round the rugged rocks the ragged rascals ran.
Rarely are real rare rear mirrors rearview mirrors.
Rita’s really rare red roller skates really roll.
Roberta ran rings around the Roman ruins.
Roger quickly wriggled away from the wriggling snake.
/s/ Tongue Twisters
Silly Sally swiftly slurped seven sodas.
Six slippery snails slid silently southward.
Susie’s sister Sally sells seashells by the seashore.
Seven sleek swans swam swiftly southward.
Sam’s shiny silver saxophone softly serenades the sleepy city streets.
Sandy seashores showcase stunning seashells and starfish.
/t/ Tongue Twisters
Timmy tried to trill his tongue 10 times.
Ten tiny turtles toddled to the tree.
Tom’s tiger tiptoed through the tall tulips.
Terrible Terry toiled tirelessly turning the tight tourniquet.
Tiny Tim tiptoed through the tulips toward the towering tree house.
/th/ Tongue Twisters
The 33 thieves thought that they thrilled the throne throughout Thursday.
In the thick of the thicket, a throng of three thousand thistles thumped and thundered threateningly.
A thoughtful thought thinking thoughtfully thinks thoughts that thoughtlessly thoughtless thoughts think.
Through thick and thin, the thistle thickets thumped.
She threw a seething, hissing fit, vexed by the thorny thistle that pricked her thumb.
Plus, don’t miss our 30 Meaningful Vocabulary Activities for Every Grade!
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