Tongue Twisters

[Mizali]

I've always enjoyed these, especially when trying to learn them in other languages.  I guess that I enjoy the challenge of trying to wrap my tongue around certain phrases that seem designed to trip the speaker up, whether they're purposefully made that way or just common phrases that are accidentally hard to say.

What are some of your favorite tongue twisters in English?

[Kotro]

I remember a professor of mine in college would throw a lot of tongue twisters at us. Sadly the only one I remember in full (probably because it was the one I could reproduce best) is the classic English tongue twister "How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?".

In my native language I can also only remember a couple:

- O rato roeu a rolha da garrafa de rum do rei da Rússia (the mouse gnawed the cork of the king of Russia's bottle - which really doesn't make much sense);

- Três tristes tigres (three sad tigers - odlly enough, this one, just three words long is much harder to say, bacause people will naturally say a third, non-existant "tr" after the two first ones).

[Oakster]

Not sure how video posts are liked in the forum, but I found the perfect video for this thread

[Mizali]

Chiming in with some of my own, I think that there are a few interesting ones.

For a single word that can be hard to repeat, I think the best one might be 'toyboat'.  Trying to say it over and over starts to get really hard!

For phrases that are hard to say, I think the one that wins is: The sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep's sick

My favorite in another language is probably: Niwa no niwa ni wa niwa niwatori wa niwaku ni wani o tabeta, which is a Japanese one that translates more or less to 'In Mr. Niwa's yard, two chickens suddenly ate an alligator'

[Kotro]

Not sure how video posts are liked in the forum, but I found the perfect video for this thread

Ahah, that's a great video, well spotted!

[ddrmario123]

I remember trying to say tongue twisters as a little kid in elementary with my friends. The ones who could say it had some sort of pride in them LOL. But anyways the ones I knew were:

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.

She sells seashells by the seashore.

How much wood would a woodchuck chuck, if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

Then the ones you had to repeat like three times:

Unique New York

Greek Grapes

Toy Boat

[MyDigitalpoint]

Here are three tongue twisters for you to enjoy  :grin:

A tutor who tooted the flute,

Tried to tutor two tooters to toot.

Said the two to the tutor,

"Is it easier to toot,

Or to tutor two tooters to toot?"*

Bobby Bibbit bought a bat.

Bobby Bibbit bought a ball.

With the bat, Bob banged the ball,

Banged the ball against the wall.

Amidst the mists and fiercest frosts,

With barest wrists and stoutest boasts,

He thrusts his fists against the post,

And still insists he sees the ghosts.

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?

[Baburra]

I never have been a fan of tongue twisters, we have several of our own versions in my native language, but the one I remember the most is the Americans' "woodchuck" one.

[thekernel]

Some of these examples aren't that bad. Try saying this one 5 times fast:

Blue black bug's blood

[jbepp]

My father taught me this one:

If Stu chews shoes, should Stu choose the shoes he chews?

I still have problems saying it fast.

[erronousRogue]

This one's just evil.

She sells sea-shells on the sea-shore.

The shells she sells are sea-shells, I'm sure.

For if she sells sea-shells on the sea-shore

Then I'm sure she sells sea-shore shells.

[RazKnows]

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?