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Hard Tongue Twisters

So what are some hard tongue twisters you’ve ever tried to say?

This list of challenging lines will vex you verbally, test your tongue, and twist your tonsils.

Just start with something simple, like a short tongue twister, and say it three times slowly. Let your lips warm up and focus your mind. Then progress to tougher and tougher twisters.

Speed up the pace and push the limits of your verbal dexterity. See how many your mandible can master!

Best tongue twisters.

Hard Tongue Twisters

Try saying these three times fast!

1.) Cricket critic.

2.) Irish wristwatch.

3.) Red lorry yellow lorry.

4.) Stupid superstition.

5.) Good blood, bad blood.

6.) Rolling red wagons.

7.) Unique New York.

8.) Eddie edited it.

9.) Six sticky skeletons.

10.) Ed had edited it.

11.) Two tried and true tridents.

12.) Truly rural.

13.) Black bug’s blood.

14.) Pre-shrunk silk shirts.

15.) Flash message.

16.) Black back bat.

17.) Willie’s really weary.

18.) Red Buick, blue Buick.

19.) She sees cheese.

20.) Which witch is which?

21.) Thin sticks, thick bricks.

22.) Eleven benevolent elephants.

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Irish wristwatch play on words.

Funny Tongue Twisters To Tease Your Brain

23.) Fred fed Ted bread, and Ted fed Fred bread.

24.) I wish to wash my Irish wristwatch.

25.) Six sleek swans swam swiftly southwards.

26.) I slit the sheet, the sheet I slit, and on the slitted sheet, I sit.

27.) Rory, the warrior, and Roger, the worrier, were reared wrongly in a rural brewery.

28.) Can you can a can as a canner can can a can?

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29.) If you must cross a course cross cow across a crowded cow crossing, cross the cross coarse cow across the crowded cow crossing carefully.

30.) You know New York, you need New York, you know you need unique New York.

31.) Thirty-three thirsty, thundering thoroughbreds thumped Mr. Thurber on Thursday.

32.) I thought I thought of thinking of thanking you.

33.) Six sick hicks nick six slick bricks with picks and sticks.

34.) How can a clam cram in a clean cream can?

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Pronunciation Problems

35.) Which wristwatches are Swiss wristwatches?

36.) Nine nice night nurses nursing nicely.

37.) The seething sea ceaseth, and thus the seething sea sufficeth us.

38.) Susie works in a shoeshine shop. Where she shines, she sits, and where she sits, she shines.

39.) Rugged rubber baby buggy bumpers.

40.) Three short sword sheaths.

41.) Brisk, brave brigadiers brandished broad, bright blades, blunderbusses, and bludgeons — balancing them badly.

42.) Roofs of mushrooms rarely mush too much.

43.) Tie twine to three tree twigs.

44.) The thirty-three thieves thought that they thrilled the throne throughout Thursday.

45.) Send toast to ten tense stout saints’ ten tall tents.

46.) Can you can a canned can into an un-canned can like a canner can can a canned can into an un-canned can?

47.) I have got a date at a quarter to eight; I’ll see you at the gate, so don’t be late.

48.) Round the rugged rock, the ragged rascal ran.

Sayings that are hard to pronounce.

Hardest Tongue Twisters For Kids

49.) Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear. Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair. Now, Fuzzy Wuzzy wasn’t fuzzy, was he?

50.) I saw a kitten eating chicken in the kitchen.

51.) We surely shall see the sunshine soon.

52.) Four fine fresh fish for you.

53.) The tweetle beetle battle.

54.) Singing Sammy sang songs on sinking sand.

55.) A big bug bit a bold bald bear and the bold bald bear bled blood badly.

56.) Near an ear, a nearer ear, a nearly eerie ear.

57.) He threw three balls.

58.) Fresh French fried fly fritters.

59.) Santa’s short suit shrunk.

60.) Green glass globes glow greenly.

61.) If a dog chews shoes, whose shoes does he choose?

62.) A big black bear sat on a big black rug.

63.) Wayne went to Wales to watch walruses.

64.) Tom threw Tim three thumbtacks.

Challenging Tongue Twisters

65.) A skunk sat on a stump and thunk the stump stunk, but the stump thunk the skunk stunk.

66.) The Leith Police dismisseth us.

67.) Are you copper bottoming those pans, my man? No, I’m aluminum ’em, Ma’am.

68.) There, those thousand thinkers were thinking about what the other three thieves go through.

69.) Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager managing an imaginary menagerie.

70.) Ken Dodd’s dad’s dog’s dead.

71.) The 33 thieves thought that they thrilled the throne throughout Thursday.

72.) Roberta ran rings around the Roman ruins.

73.) She sat upon a balcony, inexplicably mimicking him hiccupping whilst amicably welcoming him in.

74.) Can you can a canned can into an uncanned can like a canner can can a canned can into an uncanned can?

Awesome Tongue Twisters Image

Awesome tongue twisters.

Difficult Tongue Twisters

75.) A synonym for cinnamon is a cinnamon synonym.

76.) So, this is the sushi chef.

77.) A black bloke’s back brake block broke.

78.) Seth at Sainsbury’s sells thick socks.

79.) 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.

80.) Something in a thirty-acre thermal thicket of thorns and thistles thumped and thundered, threatening the three-D thoughts of Matthew the thug – although, theatrically, it was only the thirteen-thousand thistles and thorns through the underneath of his thigh that the thirty-year-old thug thought of that morning.

81.) She saw Sheriff’s shoes on the sofa. But was she so sure she saw Sherif’s shoes on the sofa?

82.) Mr. Tongue Twister tried to train his tongue to twist and turn and twit a twat, to learn the letter “T.”

83.) Brisk, brave brigadiers brandished broad, bright blades, blunderbusses, and bludgeons — Balancing them badly.

84.) Lesser leather never weathered wetter weather better.

Story Tongue Twisters

85.) 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.

86.) If Theophilus Thadeus Thistledown,

The successful thistle-sifter,

Thrust three thousand thistles through the thick of his thumb,

See that thou, while sifting a sieve-full of unsifted thistles,

Thrust not three thousand thistles through the thick of thy thumb.

87.) Through three cheese trees, three free fleas flew.

While these fleas flew, a freezy breeze blew.

The freezy breeze made these three trees freeze.

Freezy trees made these trees’ cheese freeze.

That’s what made these three free fleas sneeze.

88.) To sit in solemn silence in a dull, dark dock,

In a pestilential prison with a life-long lock,

Awaiting the sensation of a short, sharp shock,

From a cheap and chippy chopper on a big black block!

A dull, dark dock, a life-long lock,

A short, sharp shock, a big black block!

89.) Three sweet switched Swiss witches

Watch three washed Swiss with Swatch watch switches.

Which sweet switched Swiss witch watches

Which washed Swiss witch Swatch watch switch?

90.) Silly Sally swiftly shooed seven silly sheep.

The seven silly sheep Silly Sally shooed

Shilly-shallied south.

These sheep shouldn’t sleep in a shack;

Sheep should sleep in a shed.

Hard Tongue Twisters.

Story Twisters For Kids

91.) One-one was a racehorse.

Two-two was one too.

One-one won one race.

Two-two won one too.

92.) A tutor who tooted the flute

Tried to tutor two tooters to toot

Said the two to the tutor

“Is it tougher to toot

Or to tutor two tooters to toot?”

93.) Bobby Bippy bought a bat.

Bobby Bippy bought a ball.

With his bat, Bob banged the ball

Banged it bumps against the wall

But so boldly Bobby banged it

That he burst his rubber ball

“Boo!” cried Bobby

Bad luck ball

Bad luck, Bobby, bad luck ball

Now to drown his many troubles

Bobby Bippy’s blowing bubbles.

94.) Luke Luck likes lakes.

Luke’s duck likes lakes.

Luke Luck licks lakes.

Luck’s duck licks lakes.

Duck takes licks in lakes Luke Luck likes.

Luke Luck takes licks in lakes duck likes.

Classics

95.) Toy boat, toy boat, toy boat.

96.) Eat fresh, fried fish-free at the French fish fry.

97.) Near an ear, a nearer ear, a nearly eerie ear.

98.) If two witches were watching two watches, which witch would watch witch?

99.) Betty Botter bought some butter; “But,” said she, “this butter’s bitter!

100.) Slowly, she sheared six shabby sheep.

101.) I saw a kitten eating chicken in the kitchen.

102.) Pad kid poured curd-pulled cod.

103.) She sells seashells on the seashore.

104.) How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

Impossible Phrases to Say

105.) Betty bought butter, but the butter was bitter, so Betty bought better butter to make the bitter butter better.

106.) If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, Where’s the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?

107.) Give Papa a cup of proper coffee in a copper coffee cup.

108.) I’m a mother pheasant plucker; I pluck mother pheasants. I’m the most pleasant mother pheasant plucker to ever pluck a mother pheasant.

109.) The sixth sick sheik’s sixth sheep’s sick.

110.) Any noise annoys an oyster but a noisy noise annoys an oyster more.

111.) The greener green grapes are, the keener keen apes are to gobble green grape cakes.

Short Tongue Twisters

112.) A flea and a fly flew up in a flue.

113.) An ape hates grape cakes.

114.) Scissors sizzle, thistles sizzle.

115.) A proper copper coffee pot.

116.) Which wristwatches are Swiss wristwatches?

117.) Sheena leads, and Sheila needs.

118.) I scream, you scream. We all scream for ice cream.

119.) Seventy-seven benevolent elephants.

Most Difficult

120.) Ingenious iguanas improvising an intricate impromptu on impossibly-impractical instruments.

121.) All I want is a proper cup of coffee. Made in a proper copper coffee pot. You can believe it or not. But I want a cup of coffee from a proper copper pot.

122.) Betty Botter bought some butter but, said she, 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 bitter batter better.

So she bought some better butter, better than the bitter butter, put it in her bitter batter, and made her bitter batter better. So ‘t was better Betty Botter bought some better butter.

123.) If practice makes perfect and perfect needs practice, I’m perfectly practiced and practically perfect.

124.) Smelly shoes and socks shock sisters.

125.) A lazy lizard lounged on the lovely lavender leaves, licking its lips as it lazily lounged.

126.) A synonym for cinnamon is a cinnamon synonym. Twelve twins twirled twelve twigs.

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127.) The great Greek grape growers grow great Greek grapes.

128.) I saw Susie sitting in a shoe shine shop. Where she shines, she sits, and where she sits, she shines.

129.) If a dog chews shoes, whose shoes does he choose?

130.) Spread it thicker, say it quicker! Yellow butter, purple jelly, red jam, black bread. Don’t eat until you are spreading it like a spread.

131.) A big black bug bit a big black bear.

132.) The top cop saw a cop top.

133.) Betty’s big bunny bobbled by the blueberry bush.

134.) The big bug bit the little beetle.

135.) Daddy Draws Doors.

136.) Fred fed Ted bread, and Ted fed Fred bread.

137.) Zebras zig and zebras zag.

Note: Are we missing any of the hardest tongue twisters? Let us know your favorites via the Contact page.

Tongue Twisters FAQ

Here are some frequently asked questions about tongue twisters.

What is the World’s Hardest Tongue Twister?

The Guinness Book of World Records designates the following tongue twister as the world’s hardest tongue twister in the English language: “The sixth sick sheik’s sixth sheep’s sick.” Try it ten times fast!

Another tough twister is “pad kid poured curd pulled cold.” In fact, researchers at MIT (the Massachusetts Institute of Technology) led by psychologist Stefanie Shattuck-Hufnagel contend that this line is the toughest twister ever created.

The difficulty comes when the line is repeated rapidly in succession. The exercise left some tongue-tied test participants speechless.

The world's hardest tongue twister.

How to Be Good at Tongue Twisters?

Like everything in this world, it seems, practice makes perfect. Repeat each line slowly and concentrate on enunciating each syllable before moving on to the next word. Now begin to speed up your cadence until you can repeat the twister three times without error.

Actors, singers, radio hosts, politicians, and professional speakers use tongue twisters for articulation exercises.

Make a game of it! Challenge your friends on who can repeat the lines the fastest without messing up.

You’ll be surprised at the strange word combinations your brain can get tricked into creating. Great for big laughs at any social gathering, like parties and game nights.

What is one of the oldest tongue twisters?

The well-known Peter Piper tongue twister first appeared in print in 1813.

It reads like this: 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?

By Michael O’Halloran

Juggling jocularity is a favorite thing for Michael. He’s the founder and editor of Greeting Card Poet. He’s also co-authored four books on kid trivia.

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