55+ Tongue Twisters That Will Crack Your Kids Up

Most people think of tongue twisters as a trivial activity for kids, full of gibberish and phrases that are equally fun and frustrating. But really, these seemingly random constructions of alliterative words and palindromic phrases are a surefire way to improve fluency and pronunciation. And it’s a great way to get your kid’s speaking skills up to par. In fact, Natalie Portman dedicated an entire section in her acting MasterClass to the tongue-twisters she uses before going on set to perfect her speech. Politicians and news anchors are also known to practice tongue twisters before going on air.

Of course, these deliberately difficult expressions can be the opposite of fun for kids who are still learning to speak, so it’s important to find that balance between challenging tongue twisters and downright impossible ones. We’ve compiled a list of the best easy-to-memorize tongue twisters that will give your kid (and you) instant satisfaction when they finally get them right.

1. 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.
2. I saw Susie sitting in a shoe shine shop where she shines, she sits, and where she sits, she shines.
3. A big black bug bit a big black dog on his big black nose.
4. Six slippery snails slid slowly seaward.
5. Whether the weather is warm, whether the weather is hot, we have to put up with the weather, whether we like it or not.
6. The bottom of the butter bucket is the buttered bucket bottom.
7. A sailor went to sea to see what he could see. And all he could see was sea, sea, sea.
8. If a dog chews shoes, whose shoes does he choose?
9. Five frantic frogs fled from fifty fierce fishes.
10. Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear, Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair, Wuzzy wasn’t very fuzzy, was he?
11. If practice makes perfect and perfect needs practice, I’m perfectly practiced and practically perfect.
12. Betty and Bob brought back blue balloons from the big bazaar.
13. I saw a saw that could saw out any other saw I ever saw.
14. Nine nice night nurses nursing nicely.
15. I slit the sheet, the sheet I slit, and on the slitted sheet I sit.
16. A skunk sat on a stump and thunk the stump stunk, but the stump thunk the skunk stunk.
17. Any noise annoys an oyster, but a noisy noise annoys an oyster more.
18. Four furious friends fought for the phone.
19. Chester Cheetah chews a chunk of cheap cheddar cheese.
20. Lesser leather never weathered wetter weather better.
21. We surely shall see the sun shine soon.
22. Wayne went to Wales to watch walruses.
23. Fred fed Ted bread, and Ted fed Fred bread.
24. 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, made her bitter batter better.
25. Birdie birdie in the sky, laid a turdie in my eye. If cows could fly, I’d have a cow pie in my eye.
26. How much ground would a groundhog hog, if a groundhog could hog ground? A groundhog would hog all the ground he could hog, if a groundhog could hog ground.
27. “Surely Sylvia swims!” shrieked Sammy, surprised. “Someone should show Sylvia some strokes so she shall not sink.”
28. The thirty-three thieves thought that they thrilled the throne throughout Thursday.
29. Can you can a canned can into an un-canned can like a canner can can a canned can into an un-canned can?
30. Red lorry, yellow lorry, red lorry, yellow lorry, red lorry, yellow lorry.
31. Thin sticks, thick bricks, thin sticks, thick bricks, thin sticks, thick bricks.
32. Stupid superstition, stupid superstition, stupid superstition.
33. Two tried and true tridents, two tried and true tridents, two tried and true tridents.
34. 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.
35. 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?
36. When a doctor doctors a doctor, does the doctor doing the doctoring doctor as the doctor being doctored wants to be doctored, or does the doctor doing the doctoring doctor as he wants to doctor?
37. If two witches were watching two watches, which witch would watch which watch?
38. If you notice this notice, you will notice that this notice is not worth noticing.
39. If you must cross a course cross cow across a crowded cow crossing, cross the cross coarse cow across the crowded cow crossing carefully.
40. Something in a 30-acre thermal thicket of thorns and thistles thumped and thundered, threatening the 3D thoughts of Matthew — although, theatrically, it was the 13,000 thistles and thorns through the underneath of his thigh that the 30-year-old thought of that morning.
41. To sit in solemn silence in a dull, dark dock, in a prickly pot with a lifelong lock, playing with bees that give you short, sharp shocks.
42. Six sleek swans swam swiftly southwards.
43. Willie’s really weary.
44. He threw three free throws.
45. Denise sees the fleece, Denise sees the fleas. At least Denise could sneeze and feed and freeze the fleas.
46. These thousand tricky tongue twisters trip thrillingly off the tongue.
47. Gobbling gargoyles gobbled gobbling goblins.
48. Picky people pick Peter Pan Peanut-Butter, 'tis the peanut-butter picky people pick.
49. Brisk brave brigadiers brandished broad bright blades, blunderbusses, and bludgeons—balancing them badly.
50. Six sticky skeletons.
51. Each Easter, Eddie eats eighty Easter eggs.
52. Six sleek swans swam swiftly southwards.
53. Cooks cook cupcakes quickly.
54. Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager managing an imaginary menagerie.
55. Six Czech cricket critics.
56. Babbling baby boys blurted boldly.
57. Which wristwatches are Swiss wristwatches?
58. I’m a mother pheasant plucker; I pluck mother pheasants.
59. The two-toed tree-toad tried to win. The three-toed she-toad’s heart,