Several of the tongue twisters in this page are of my own device. Many are as old as the language itself. But most are recent "tools" developed by educators to teach the language. I've tried to avoid those tongue twisters which make use of proper names, like the famous 'Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers' ... But I just had to include 'Moses supposes his toeses are roses' ... Now, without further ado, here is my collection of English language tongue twisters.
Sixish.
Crisp crusts.
Really leery.
Sexist sixties.
Cheap ship trip.
Mix, Miss, mix!
Three free fleas.
Who'd edited it?
She sells sweets.
Literally literary.
Six crisp snacks.
Three tree twigs.
Knapsack straps.
I see his icy eyes.
Thieves seize skis.
Please pass the peas.
Please pay promptly.
Fast bats fly past fast.
We were well-wishers.
Which witch is which?
Text tests test textmen.
Freshly fried fresh fish.
This myth is a mystery.
Real weird rear wheels.
Chumps shun sunshine.
Communist economists.
Nine nice night nymphs.
Thin sticks, thick bricks.
The blue bluebird blinks.
Chop shops stock chops.
Three short sword sheats.
Six stick shifts stuck shut.
She shrank his short shirt.
If he slips, should she slip?
Wretched ratchet wrench!
X-ray checks clear chests.
Strange strategic statistics.
Sure the ship's ship shape.
The oak oars are our oars.
Please pause for applause!
The batter's better buttered.
A missing mixture measure.
He threw three free throws.
He'll eat eel while I'll feel ill.
The dean's dad's dog's dead.
Cross a cross across a cross.
Cranes grow glorious crowns.
A duster of busts dusts busts.
Pass the plate of peas, please.
Flee from fog to fight flu fast!
She sees seas slapping shores.
He who laughs last laughs last.
Ship ice chips in ice chip ships.
Do those does do those deeds?
Is this your sister's sixth zither?
Unicorn horns unique horns are.
Friars fry fat flat flounder filets.
The ochre ogre ogled the poker.
Stick the sixth thick thistle stick.
Swan swam swell swum swims.
I wish she were a fish in my dish.
Six thin thieves seize six thin skis.
Little old ladies ladling lentil soup.
Can cloned clowns claim crowns?
Suddenly the sea ceased seething!
French fried fly fritters fried fresh.
Cheap chip shops sell chips cheap.
Bluebirds bathe in a blue birdbath.
A pessimistic pest exists amidst us.
She shily says she shall saw sheets.
What thinks the thin twin thinsmith?
Is there a pleasant peasant present?
Three free thugs set three thugs free.
A pail of ale aids ailing pale lad's ills.
Cat catchers can't catch caught cats.
The instincts of extinct insects stink.
Better breath tests test breath better.
Which watch did which witch wear?
Pressed preshrunk silk shirts on sale.
Six sick slick slim sycamore saplings.
Nothing's worth thousands of deaths.
Old oily oilers oil old oily oil-burners.
Sit the sixth sick scenic sightseer solo!
The queen coined quick clipped quips.
Twelve twins twirled twelve thin twigs.
Bring the black blank bank book back.
We surely shall see the sun shine soon.
Can active actors act actively accurate.
Six shy shearers sheared six shy sheep.
Shun cheerful cheap chop suey shops.
Three grey geese in green fields grazed.
Picky pickpockets pick picked pockets.
The sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep's sick.
The fish 'n' chip shop's chips are cheap.
Rain on a window pane stains the paint.
Tie three tight twines to three tree twigs.
Really rural rulers rule really rural roads.
Which wristwatch's a Swiss wristwatch?
The sock shop stocks short spotted socks.
Sixteen twins screwed steel steam cruisers.
Top chopstick shops stock top chopsticks.
An annoying noisy noise annoys an onion.
For fresh shrimp, try a fresh shrimp shop.
She should show her shoulders to soldiers.
Far too few free fruit flies fly from flames.
Duck down the deep damp dark dank den.
The bootblack bought the black boot back.
Finicky feline feasts on fried fresh fish fin.
Can an active actor actually act accurately?
She lisps as she talks and lists as she walks.
Just think, the sphinx's sphincter may stink.
No nose knows like a gnome's nose knows.
Cedar shingles should be shaved and saved.
Double bubble gum bubbles double bubbles.
Octogenarian octopusses occur occasionally.
Black background beats brown background.
Can a flying fish fly far from a free fish fry?
Great gray goats create great gray goat coats.
Flat flying fish fly faster than flat flying fleas.
Great grape growers grow great green grapes.
Selfish shellfish shun the shellfish-sauce shop.
Winos whine when wine pouring winds down.
A loyal warrior will rarely worry why we rule.
Sailors sail the seas to see what's to see at sea.
Moose noshing much mush cause much slush.
A friendly fellow fries flies, fleas, and fire flies.
Fried frozen fat-free fruit floats frighten freaks.
I thought I thought of thinking of thanking you.
Can a black chalk chalk on a black blackboard?
Red wine raters really rate red wine really right.
What time does the wristwatch strap shop shut?
A fish-sauce shop's sure to sell fresh fish sauce.
Cuckoo cookie cooks can cook cuckoo cookies.
Extant insects snicker at extinct insects' instincts.
Shooters securely shouldered, soldiers soldiered.
A bloke's black bike's back brake bracket broke.
Which wicked witch wished which wicked wish?
Shallow sailing ships should shun shallow shoals.
A proper crop of poppies is a proper poppy-crop.
Night nurses are nice, nice night nurses are nicer.
The furry butterfly floated from flower to flower.
Put the black blocks back in the black block box.
No shipshape shirt shop stocks shop-soiled shirts.
The sheik's sock shop stocks short spotted socks.
The big bad bloke brought the black blanket back.
Ten tiny tin toy tug boats tug ten tiny tin toy boats.
I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream.
I slit a sheet, a sheet I slit, on the slitted sheet I sit.
Veteran ventriloquists whistle while ventriloquizing.
Think you can stick thin sticks through thick sticks?
Much mushroom mashing mush mushrooms much.
A tiny tidy tiger tied a tie tighter to tidy her tiny tail.
This snail is stale. Its tail is stale. This is a stale tale.
A loyal royal warrior will rarely worry why we rule.
Strange strangers strange strange strategic statistics.
A pink tin piggy makes a pretty pink tin piggy-bank.
He throws free throws, three free throws he throws.
She saw sixty-six shy sheep sleeping on a silk sheet.
Smart sharp he-sharks can surely charm she-sharks.
Are our oars oak oars or are our oars not oak oars?
Does all oil ooze, or is it all oil that's hot that oozes?
Brew a proper cup of coffee in a copper coffee pot!
The batter with the butter is the batter that is better!
An anti-ant-eating anteater eats oats instead of ants.
Chaps chowing on cheap sheep soup surely shudder.
A toucan can't keep toucankind ticking, but two can.
Ripe white wheat reapers reap ripe white wheat right.
A quick sneeze quickly cleans stuffy sneeze passages.
She chose to chew a chunk of cheap cheddar cheese.
I slit a sheet, a sheet I slit, upon the slitted sheet, I sit!
Lesser leather never weathered wetter weather better.
Never trouble about trouble until trouble troubles you.
Which wristwatch straps are Swiss wristwatch straps?
Itchy inchworms inch, inch by inch, to scratching post.
Clean clams crammed in tin cans claim claustrophobia.
Many an anemone is enamored of an enemy anemone.
Gorgeous girl gargoyles go for grotesque guy gargoyles?
Cows graze on grass which grows in grooves in groves.
Taste these tasty tidbits, they titillate troubled tastebuds.
There's a sandwich on the sand which a sane witch sent.
Round 'n' round the rugged rocks the ragged rascals ran.
When gray apes crate grapes they create great grape jam.
A cupcake cook in a cupcake cook's hat cooks cupcakes.
Soldiers shoulder shooters to soldier shoulder to shoulder.
Shredded Swiss cheese shops sell shredded Swiss chesse.
For fine fresh fish, phone the famous fine fresh fish shop.
Excited executioners exercise excising powers excessively.
Prepare the pared pears by the unprepared pears by pairs.
Two thrice-freed thieves set three twice-freed thieves free.
I wish I were what I was when I wished I were what I am.
Sounding by sound is a sound method of sounding sounds.
The bootblack blacks boots with a big boot-blacking brush.
Good gondoliers ignore goings-on going on in their gondolas.
She shuts the shop shutters so window shoppers can't shop.
Shut the shutter, son! The shutter's shut, Sir. Shut it shutter!
Better a full bottle in front of me than a full frontal lobotomy.
The beachfront's fish-sauce shop seldom sells shellfish sauce.
Sheep shouldn't sleep in shacks, sheep should sleep in sheds.
It's mayhem when mean wee men mess with mean women.
Would a cruel ghoul wound a nude dude, it wouldn't be cool.
My dame tamed a lame crane, a lame crane my dame tamed.
Many an anemic anemone meets an enemy anemic anemone.
Yak-packers pack yacks in backyard to fund yak-packers ball.
What a wonderful weaver he who wove the World Wide Web!
If thick zippers can zip in a zip, how zippy can thin zippers be?
A turbot's not a burbot, for a turbot's a butt, but a burbot's not.
Am I aiming too many anemic anemonies at my many enemies?
A shame such a shapely sash should such shabby stitches show.
My great-grandma grew aghast at her great-grandma's grammar.
How loud would wolves howl at owls, if wolves howled at owls?
Don't pamper damp scamp tramps that camp under ramp lamps.
If black bugs bleed black blood, then blue bugs bleed blue blood.
Puzzlers puzzling over impossible puzzles puzzle passing puzzlers.
Three truckers truckle to have truck to truck three trucks of truck.
A proud pale pink peacock pompously preened its pretty plumage.
Typing ten-times-tables takes more time than typing ten-times-two.
How much dew would a dewdrop drop if a dewdrop dropped dew.
A purely rural duel truly plural beats a purely plural duel truly rural.
Hang the table cloth close to the clothes and close the clothes closet.
If you notice this notice, you'll notice this notice isn't worth noticing.
Three thugs thrust thirty-three thorns through three thrushes' throats.
How much oil would an old oil boiler boil if old oil boilers boiled oil?
Any noise annoys an oyster, but a noisy noise annoys an oyster most.
A lusty lady loved a lawyer and longed to lure him from his laboratory.
At present you can't please a peasant however pleasant the peasant be.
Practice passing, for if you pass proficiently, you'll play professionally.
A black cat crept into a crypt, the black cat crept back out of the crypt.
Fried fresh sole is sole fresh fish sold fried in city's sole fresh fish shop.
Freezers that freeze fresh fish stiff should freeze fresh stuffed fowl fine.
She shuts the sash shop's shutters so window sash shoppers can't shop.
Should a dog chew shoes, what sort of shoes should it choose to chew?
Five friendly fryars frantically fry fresh fish for the fryars benefit fishfry.
As one sly snake slid up the stake, another sly snake slid down the stake.
"Nighty-night, knight," said one knight to the other knight the other night.
It's not the cough that carries you off, it's the coffin they carry you off in.
She should choose cheddar cheese if she should choose to choose cheese.
A big bug bit a little beetle's back, but the little beetle bit the big bug back.
Three witches watched three watches. Which witch watched which watch?
If she should tie a tie and untie a shoe, she should untie a tie and tie a shoe.
A canner can can anything that he can; but a canner can't can a can, can he?
Really rural rogues roaming 'round really rural roads wreck really rural ruins.
The seaside thistle shop sells sieves of unsifted thistles for thistle sifters to sift.
Big black bugs bleed black blood, but baby black bugs bleed baby-blue blood.
If two witches watched two watches, which witch would watch which watch?
How much myrtle would a wood turtle hurdle if a wood turtle hurdled myrtle?
As a big black bug bled blue-black blood, a big blue bug bled black-blue blood.
A country lass had a country-cut front in the front of her country-cut pettycoat.
If you bring forth a fifth on the fourth, forget being fit to come forth on the fifth.
How many cuckoos could a good cook cook if a good cook could cook cuckoos.
Tricky tongue twisters thrillingly trip, twist, and tangle tongues into tons of knots.
Tongue twisters trip, twist and tangle untripped, untwisted and untangled tongues.
Fried fresh fish, fresh fried fish, fresh fish fried, fish fried fresh, fish freshly fried.
A pleasant place to place a plaice is a place where a plaice is pleased to be placed.
A big black bug bit a big black bat, but the big black bat bit the big black bug back.
On a tree top, two three-toed tree toads tell tall stories to three two-toed tree toads.
I never smelled a smelt that smelled as smelly as that small smelt I smelled smelled.
Whether sweater weather, whether leather weather, wetter weather is better weather.
Swan swam over the sea. Swim, Swan, swim! Swan swam back. Swell swim, swan!
As one eager eagle eased under the eaves, another eager eagle eased out of the eaves.
If those goats eat oats, what do those does eat? Those does eat oats as do those goats.
How many cuckoos could a good cook cook if a good cook cook could cook cuckoos?
Tongue tanglers cannot tangle tongues, but can tongue twisters twist tongues into knots?
Love's a feeling you'll feel when you feel you'll feel a feeling you've failed to feel before.
Rotten writers write rotten writings, rotten writing's wrong, writing rotten writings's wronger.
Needles I need not. Needles are needless needlesome things. I need no needles to needle me.
If you come forth with a fifth on the fourth, you may fail to be fit to come forth on the fifth.
Get me a proper cup of proper coffee in a proper copper cup from a proper copper coffee pot.
With throngs of wrong lanes to run along, a runner's prone to run along the wrong wrong lane.
A skunk sat on a stump. The stump thunk the skunk stunk. The skunk thunk the stump stunk.
Cautious courts cause costly court cases, 'cause caution in courts cause court costs to be costly.
Can you imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie?
A passing puzzler pauses to puzzle over a fellow puzzler puzzling over a possibly impossible puzzle!
She stood on the balcony, inexplicably mimicking him hiccuping, and amicably welcoming him home.
A robber of rubber goods rubbed out a rubber good robber for robbing out his rubber-robbing routes.
"I can't think of six thin things or six thick things, can you think of six thin things and six thick things?"
I've felt fine felt, but I'd never felt felt that felt as fine as that felt felt when I first felt that felt-hat's felt.
I'm a big pick digger. I dig with a big pick. I dig with the biggest digger's pick of all my big pick diggers.
"She swims!" shrieks the sheik. "Surely, she should teach sheiks some strokes; so sheiks swim, not sink."
I can't bear to see a bear bear down upon a hare. When bare of hair the bear strips the hare, I cry right there. Man! It sure was pandemonium when the aluminuming man found a minimum of aluminum in the aluminum pan.
She saw a shot-silk sash shop full of shot-silk sashes as the sunshine shone on the side of the shot-silk sash shop.
I would if I could. If I couldn't, how could I? You couldn't unless you could, but if you couldn't, how could you?
When a candy canner cans candy canes, must he can'em in candy cane cans, or can he can'em in any kind of can?
If a pepper picker picked a peck of pickled peppers, who pickled the peppers before the pepper picker picked them?
An anteater that hated eating ants ate an ant. Once it ate it it hated it, but when it ate it hunger dictated that it ate it.
While sifting a sieve of unsifted thistles, the thistle sifter thrust three-thousand thistles through the thick of his thumb.
What a to-do! To die today at a minute or two 'til two. A tough to-do to do! To die at a minute or two 'til two today!
On mules we find two legs behind and two we find before. We stand behind before we find what those behind be for.
I'm not the pheasant plucker, I'm the pheasant plucker's son; but I'll pluck pheasants 'til the pheasant plucker comes.
If rustlers wrestle wrestlers, while rustlers rustle rustlers; could rustlers rustle wrestlers while wrestlers wrestle rustlers?
I'm a sheet slitter, a sheet slitter I am. I slit sheets, sheets I slit. I'm the sleekest sheet slitter that ever slit sheets in my street.
She sells seashells by the seashore. If she sells seashells by the seashore, are the shells she sells seashells or seashore shells?
Moses supposes his toeses are roses, but wrongly Moses supposes, 'cause nobody's toeses are roses as Moses his toeses supposes.
I'm not the pheasant plucker, I'm the pheasant plucker's mate. I'm only plucking pheasants, 'cause the pheasant plucker's late.
Today's stew day, today's Tuesday, Tuesday's stew day, in two days is stew day too, we eat stew on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
If neither he shall sell seashells by the seashore nor she shall sell seashells by the seashore, who shall sell seashells by the seashore?
If a-assistants assist b-assistants when b-assistants need assistance, will b-assistants assist a-assistants when a-assistants need assistance?
She shines shoes and socks, socks and shoes she shines. She'll cease shining shoes and socks, for she's shocked by shoes and socks.
If she stops at the shop where I stop, and if she shops at the shop where I shop, then I shan't stop to shop at the shop where she stops to shop.
A fellow met a fellow in a field of beans. Said the fellow to the fellow, "if a fellow asks a fellow, can a fellow tell a fellow what a fellow means?"
A tooter who tooted the flute tried to tutor two tutors to toot. Said the two tutors to the tooter, "Is it harder to toot, or to tutor two tutors to toot?"
Are aardvarks that bark better aardvarks than aardvarks that lack barks, or are aardvarks that lack barks better aardvarks than aardvarks that bark?
I'm a fast father pheasant plucker. I pluck father pheasants fast. I'm the fastest father pheasant plucker that ever plucked a father pheasant fast.
Gray geese grazed on green grass. Gradually gray geese no longer grazed on green grass, for green grew the gray geese grazing on the green grass.
I wish to wish the wish you wish to wish, but if the wish you wish to wish is to wish another wish, I'll wish to wish the other wish you wish to wish.
A fit fisher fished for fish in a fissure. A fish, fitter than the fisher, pulled the fisher into the fissure. Now they're fishing the fissure for the fisher.
Amidst the mists and coldest frosts, with stoutest wrists and loudest boasts, he thrusts his fists against the posts, and still insists he sees the ghosts.
Once I saw a saw saw that could outsaw any saw I ever saw saw. If you see a saw that can outsaw the saw I once saw saw, I'd like to see that saw saw.
"Are you copper-bottoming'em, my man?" mumbled a meddling madam. "No, I'm aluminuming'em, Ma'm," mumbled back the miffed aluminuming man.
An oyster met an oyster, there were oysters; two. Two oysters met two oysters, they were oysters too. The oysters met a stew-pot, they were oyster stew.
The busts were dusty, so a duster decided to dust the busts; but so roughly did the duster dust the busts that the busts were busted, now the busts are dust.
She saw me sew shredded sheets. Shredded sheets she saw me sew. He saw she saw me sew shredded sheets. Shredded sheets he saw she saw me sew.
When to hoot and to toot, Hottentot tots are taught by Hottentot tutors, should the tutors get hot if the Hottentot tots hoot and toot at the Hottentot tutors?
I met a boy who ate with his date at eight eight. I can't state what he ate at eight eight, or what his date ate at eight eight, but I can state that they ate at eight eight.
Peanuts, most nutty nuts amongst nuts, nutty nuts are not. But if nutty peanuts are not nutty nuts, what are nutty peanuts? Nutty peanuts are beanny beans, are they not?
When a doctor doctors a doctor, does the doctor doctor the doctor the way the doctored doctor doctors, or does the doctor doctor the doctor the way he doctors doctors?
Whether the weather be good, whether the weather be bad, whether the weather be cold, whether the weather be hot, we'll have to weather the weather whether we like it or not.
She's a thistle sifter. She has a sieve of sifted thistles and a sieve of unsifted thistles. The sieve of unsifted thistles she sieves into the sieve of sifted thistles, 'cause she's a thistle sifter.
A twister of twists twists twists. The twists that it twists are three-twisted twists. If in twisting the twists one twist should untwist, the untwisted twist could untwist the rest of the twists.
If you stick a stock of liquor in your locker, it's slick to stick a lock upon your stock, or some stickler who's slicker will stick you of your liquor if you fail to lock your liquor with a lock.
Colored goats cannot color their coats colorful colors. If colored goats could color their colored coats colorful colors, colored goats would color their colored coats colorful colors constantly.
How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? A woodchuck would chuck as much wood as a woodchuck would chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood.
Our Joe wants to know if your Joe will lend our Joe your Joe's banjo. If your Joe won't lend our Joe your Joe's banjo, our Joe won't lend your Joe our Joe's banjo when our Joe has a banjo.
I thought a thought. But, the thought I thought was not the thought I thought I thought. If the thought I thought had been the thought I thought I thought, I wouldn't have thought so much.
A fly and a flea flew into a flue. Said the fly to the flea, "we'll fry!" "Let's flee!" said the flea to the fly. "Let's fly!" said the fly to the flea. So the flea and the fly flew through a flaw they found in the flue.
There's no need to light night-lights on a light night like tonight. A night-light's light's a slight light, and tonight's a light night. When a night's light, like tonight's light, it's not right to light a night-light with its slight light.
To begin to toboggan, buy a toboggan. But don't buy too large a toboggan, nor too small a toboggan. Too large a toboggan can bog a beginning tobogganer down, too small a toboggan won't let a beginning tobogganer begin tobogganing.
Once upon a barren moor there dwelt a bear and a boar. The bear could not bear the boar. The boar thought the bear a bore. Finally the bear could bear no more that boar that bored on the moor. And so one day it bored the boar—so that boar will bore no more!
A bitter biting bittern bit a better brother bittern. The bitter better brother bittern bit the bitter biter back. The bitter bittern bitten by the bitten better brother bittern tried to bite the bitten better brother bittern's back, but the bitten better brother bittern beat the bitter biting bittern to the bite.
If he understands, he should say: "I understand." If he doesn't understand, he should say: "I don't understand." But if he understands and says: "I don't understand"; or if he doesn't understand and says: "I understand"; how do I understand whether he understands or not? Understand?
A baker bought some butter, but the butter the baker bought was bitter, and bitter it made the baker's batter. So the baker bought some better butter. The better butter the baker bought wasn't bitter, so it made the baker's batter better. It was better that the baker bought the better butter to make the bitter batter better.
He sawed wood. Wood he saw he would saw, and he sought wood to saw. One day, his wood-saw would saw no wood. So he sought a new wood-saw. He sought a wood-saw that would saw wood as no other wood-saw would saw. And he saw a wood-saw that would saw as no other saw would saw. He bought the wood-saw he saw, and says his new wood-saw saws wood like he never saw.
A tree toad loved a she-toad who lived up in a treetop. He was a three-toed tree toad, but a two-toed tree toad was she. The two-toed tree toad tried to win the three-toed she-toad's heart, for the two-toed tree toad worshipped the ground the three-toed tree toad trod. He told the three-toed tree toad how true was his love. And the three-toed she toad told the two-toed tree toad, how she loved him three times as much. The two tree toad's love grew as only a two-toed tree toad and a three-toed tree toad's love can grow. Then, alas, the two-toed tree toad trod under a ten ton truck. |