Tongue Twisters #2 - A Whole Catalog of Tongue Twisters for Articulation Fun!

         As I mentioned in an earlier post, I’m particularly fond of using Tongue Twisters in the vocal exercises of my lessons.  I like Tongue Twisters for several reasons, the most important of which include forcing the singer to focus on pronouncing the Tongue Twisters rather than straining to reach notes or concentrating on how high or low they are, as well as, learning to more effectively and accurately articulate lyrics.  Another wonderful benefit of performing Tongue Twisters is that they are FUN!  They, therefore help the singer to relax and enjoy the vocal process more.  Singing SHOULD be enjoyable!  No, it doesn’t always have to be FUN but it should NOT be work or a strain!  Here again, don’t miss understand me, singing SHOULD involve “work” from the aspect that you NEED to do your work BEFORE you start to sing.  All the recent blog posts are filled with information on HOW to prepare or “work” to become a great singer.  Tongue Twisters are ONE of those tools, a “fun”, more light-hearted tool.  Here’s a very complete list of Tongue Twisters for articulation help.  The previous post is specifically for vocal exercises but this one allows you to rehearse articulations and become much more comfortable with maneuvering in and around the English language.  Tongue Twisters are also helpful because they help you to learn to pace your breathing effectively.  Remember, NO strain!  Have fun!

Repeat these Tongue Twisters aloud, slowly at first, and then faster and faster.  Try to say them so that there is NO tension in your face or neck during production:

    Red lorry, yellow lorry, red lorry, yellow lorry.

    A box of biscuits, a batch of mixed biscuits.

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

    Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.

         Did Peter Piper pick a peck of pickled peppers?

         If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,

         where's the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?

    You know you need unique New York.

    Betty Botter had some butter,

         "But," she said, "this butter's bitter.

         If I bake this bitter butter,

         it would make my batter bitter.

         But a bit of better butter--

          that would make my batter better."

         So she bought a bit of butter,

          better than her bitter butter,

         and she baked it in her batter,

         and the batter was not bitter.

         So 'twas better Betty Botter

         bought a bit of better butter.

    Six thick thistle sticks. Six thick thistles stick.

    Is this your sister's sixth zither, sir?

    A big black bug bit a big black bear,

         made the big black bear bleed blood.

    The sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep's sick.

    Toy boat. Toy boat. Toy boat.

    One smart fellow, he felt smart.

         Two smart fellows, they felt smart.

         Three smart fellows, they all felt smart.

    Pope Sixtus VI's six texts.

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

    She sells seashells by the sea shore.

         The shells she sells are surely seashells.

         So if she sells shells on the seashore,

         I'm sure she sells seashore shells.

    Mrs. Smith's Fish Sauce Shop.

    "Surely Sylvia swims!" shrieked Sammy, surprised.

    "Someone should show Sylvia some strokes so she shall not sink."

    A Tudor who tooted a flute

         tried to tutor two tooters to toot.

         Said the two to their tutor,

         "Is it harder to toot

         or to tutor two tooters to toot?"

    Shy Shelly says she shall sew sheets.

    Three free throws.

    I am not the pheasant plucker,

         I'm the pheasant plucker's mate.

         I am only plucking pheasants

          'cause the pheasant plucker's running late.

    Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks.

    A flea and a fly flew up in a flue.

         Said the flea, "Let us fly!"

         Said the fly, "Let us flee!"

         So they flew through a flaw in the flue.

    Knapsack straps.

    Which wristwatches are Swiss wristwatches?

    Lesser leather never weathered wetter weather better.

    Six sick slick slim sycamore saplings.

    A bitter biting bittern

         Bit a better brother bittern,

         And the bitter better bittern

         Bit the bitter biter back.

         And the bitter bittern, bitten,

         By the better bitten bittern,

    Said: "I'm a bitter biter bit, alack!"

    Inchworms itching.

    A noisy noise annoys an oyster.

    The myth of Miss Muffet.

    Mr. See owned a saw, and Mr. Soar owned a seesaw.

         Now See's saw sawed Soar's seesaw before Soar saw See, which made Soar sore.

         Had Soar seen See's saw before See sawed Soar's seesaw, See's saw would not have sawed

    Soar's seesaw.  So See's saw sawed Soar's seesaw.

    But it was sad to see Soar so sore just because See's saw sawed Soar's seesaw!

    Friendly Frank flips fine flapjacks.

    Vincent vowed vengeance very vehemently.

    Cheap ship trip.

    I cannot bear to see a bear

         Bear down upon a hare.

         When bare of hair he strips the hare,

         Right there I cry, "Forbear!"

    Lovely lemon liniment.

    Gertie's great-grandma grew aghast at Gertie's grammar.

    Tim, the thin twin tinsmith

    Fat frogs flying past fast.

    I need not your needles, they're needless to me;

         For kneading of noodles, 'twere needless, you see;

         But did my neat knickers but need to be kneed,

         I then should have need of your needles indeed.

    Flee from fog to fight flu fast!

    Greek grapes.

    The boot black bought the black boot back.

    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.

    We surely shall see the sun shine soon.

    Moose noshing much mush.

    Ruby Rugby's brother bought and brought her back some rubber baby-buggy bumpers.

    Sly Sam slurps Sally's soup.

    My dame hath a lame tame crane,

         My dame hath a crane that is lame.

    Six short slow shepherds.

    A tree toad loved a she-toad

         Who lived up in a tree.

         He was a two-toed tree toad

         But a three-toed toad was she.

         The two-toed tree toad tried to win

         The three-toed she-toad's heart,

         For the two-toed tree toad loved the ground

          That the three-toed tree toad trod.

         But the two-toed tree toad tried in vain.

         He couldn't please her whim.

         From her tree toad bower

         With her three-toed power

         The she-toad vetoed him.

    Which witch wished which wicked wish?

    Old oily Ollie oils old oily autos.

    The two-twenty-two train tore through the tunnel.

    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.

    Twelve twins twirled twelve twigs.

   

Three gray geese in the green grass grazing.

    Gray were the geese and green was the grass.

Many an anemone sees an enemy anemone.

Nine nice night nurses nursing nicely.

Peggy Babcock.

You've no need to light a night-light

    On a light night like tonight,

    For a night-light's light's a slight light,

    And tonight's a night that's light.

    When a night's light, like tonight's light,

    It is really not quite right

    To light night-lights with their slight lights

    On a light night like tonight.

Black bug's blood.

Flash message!

Say this sharply, say this sweetly,

    Say this shortly, say this softly.

    Say this sixteen times in succession.

Six sticky sucker sticks.

If Stu chews shoes, should Stu

    choose the shoes he chews?

Crisp crusts crackle crunchily.

Give papa a cup of proper coffee in a copper coffee cup.

Six sharp smart sharks.

What a shame such a shapely sash

    should such shabby stitches show.

 Sure the ship's shipshape, sir.

 Betty better butter Brad's bread.

 Of all the felt I ever felt,

    I never felt a piece of felt

    which felt as fine as that felt felt,

    when first I felt that felt hat's felt.

 Sixish.

 Don't pamper damp scamp tramps that camp under ramp lamps.

 Swan swam over the sea,

    Swim, swan, swim!

    Swan swam back again

    Well swum, swan!

 Six shimmering sharks sharply striking shins.

 I thought a thought.

    But the thought I thought wasn't the thought

    I thought I thought.

 Brad's big black bath brush broke.

 Thieves seize skis.

 Chop shops stock chops.

Sarah saw a shot-silk sash shop full of shot-silk sashes

    as the sunshine shone on the side of the shot-silk sash shop.

Strict strong stringy Stephen Stretch

    slickly snared six sickly silky snakes.

    Susan shineth shoes and socks;

    socks and shoes shines Susan.

    She ceased shining shoes and socks,

    for shoes and socks shock Susan.

Truly rural.

The blue bluebird blinks.

Betty and Bob brought back blue balloons from the big bazaar.

When a twister a-twisting will twist him a twist,

    For the twisting of his twist, he three twines doth intwist;

    But if one of the twines of the twist do untwist,

    The twine that untwisteth untwisteth the twist.

    Untwirling the twine that untwisteth between,

    He twirls, with his twister, the two in a twine;

    Then twice having twisted the twines of the twine,

    He twitcheth the twice he had twined in twain.

    The twain that in twining before in the twine,

    As twines were intwisted he now doth untwine;

    Twist the twain inter-twisting a twine more between,

    He, twirling his twister, makes a twist of the twine.

The Leith police dismisseth us.

The seething seas ceaseth and twiceth the seething seas sufficeth us.

If one doctor doctors another doctor, does the doctor

    who doctors the doctor doctor the doctor the way the

    doctor he is doctoring doctors? Or does he doctor

    the doctor the way the doctor who doctors doctors?

Two Truckee truckers truculently truckling

    to have truck to truck two trucks of truck.

Plague-bearing prairie dogs.

Ed had edited it.

She sifted thistles through her thistle-sifter.

Give me the gift of a grip top sock:

    a drip-drape, ship-shape, tip-top sock.

While we were walking, we were watching window washers

    wash Washington's windows with warm washing water.

Freshly fried fresh flesh.

Pacific Lithograph.

Six twin screwed steel steam cruisers.

The crow flew over the river with a lump of raw liver.

Preshrunk silk shirts

A bloke's back bike brake block broke.

A pleasant place to place a plaice is a place

    where a plaice is pleased to be placed.

    I correctly recollect Rebecca MacGregor's reckoning.

    Good blood, bad blood.

    Quick kiss. Quicker kiss.

    I saw Esau kissing Kate. I saw Esau,

         he saw me, and she saw I saw Esau.

    Cedar shingles should be shaved and saved.

    Lily ladles little Letty's lentil soup.

    Amidst the mists and coldest frosts,

         with stoutest wrists and loudest boasts,

         he thrusts his fist against the posts

          and still insists he sees the ghosts.

    Shelter for six sick scenic sightseers.

    Listen to the local yokel yodel.

    Give Mr. Snipa's wife's knife a swipe.

    Whereat with blade, with bloody, blameful blade,

         he bravely broached his boiling bloody breast.

    Are our oars oak?

    Can you imagine an imaginary menagerie manager

         imagining managing an imaginary menagerie?

    A lusty lady loved a lawyer

         and longed to lure him from his laboratory.

    The epitome of femininity.

         She stood on the balcony

         inexplicably mimicking him hiccupping,

         and amicably welcoming him home.

    Kris Kringle carefully crunched on candy canes.

    Please pay promptly.

    On mules we find two legs behind

         and two we find before.

         We stand behind before we find

         what those behind be for.

    What time does the wristwatch strap shop shut?

    One-One was a racehorse.

         Two-Two was one, too.

         When One-One won one race,

         Two-Two won one, too.

    Girl gargoyle, guy gargoyle.

    Pick a partner and practice passing,

         for if you pass proficiently,

         perhaps you'll play professionally.

    Once upon a barren moor there dwelt a bear, also a boar.

          The bear could not bear the boar.

          The boar thought the bear a bore.

         At last the bear could bear no more of that boar that bored him on the moor,

         And so one morn he bored the boar--

         That boar will bore the bear no more.

    If a Hottentot taught a Hottentot tot

         To talk ere the tot could totter,

         Ought the Hottenton tot

         Be taught to say aught, or naught,

         Or what ought to be taught her?

         If to hoot and to toot a Hottentot tot

         Be taught by her Hottentot tutor,

         Ought the tutor get hot

         If the Hottentot tot

         Hoot and toot at her Hottentot tutor?

    Will you, William?

    Mix, Miss Mix!

    Who washed Washington's white woolen underwear

         when Washington's washer woman went west?

    Two toads, totally tired.

    Freshly-fried flying fish.

    The sawingest saw I ever saw saw

         was the saw I saw saw in Arkansas.

    Just think, that sphinx has a sphincter that stinks!

    Strange strategic statistics.

    Sarah sitting in her Chevrolet,

    All she does is sits and shifts,

         All she does is sits and shifts.

    Hi-Tech Traveling Tractor Trailor Truck Tracker

    Ned Nott was shot and Sam Shott was not.

         So it is better to be Shott than Nott.

         Some say Nott was not shot.

         But Shott says he shot Nott.

         Either the shot Shott shot at Nott was not shot,

         Or Nott was shot.

         If the shot Shott shot shot Nott, Nott was shot. 

         But if the shot Shott shot shot Shott,

         then Shott was shot, not Nott. 

         However, the shot Shott shot shot not Shott -- but Nott.

    Six slippery snails, slid slowly seaward.

    Three twigs twined tightly.

    There was a young fisher named Fischer

         Who fished for a fish in a fissure.

         The fish with a grin,

         Pulled the fisherman in;

         Now they're fishing the fissure for Fischer.

    Pretty Kitty Creighton had a cotton batten cat.

         The cotton batten cat was bitten by a rat.

         The kitten that was bitten had a button for an eye,

         And biting off the button made the cotton batten fly.

Suddenly swerving, seven small swans

    Swam silently southward,

    Seeing six swift sailboats

    Sailing sedately seaward.

The ochre ogre ogled the poker.

If you stick a stock of liquor in your locker,

    It's slick to stick a lock upon your stock,

    Or some stickler who is slicker

    Will stick you of your liquor

    If you fail to lock your liquor

    With a lock!

Shredded Swiss cheese.

The soldiers shouldered shooters on their shoulders.

Theophiles Thistle, the successful thistle-sifter,

    in sifting a sieve full of un-sifted thistles,

    thrust three thousand thistles through the thick of his thumb.

    Now.....if Theophiles Thistle, the successful thistle-sifter,

    in sifting a sieve full of un-sifted thistles,

    thrust three thousand thistles through the thick of his thumb,

    see that thou, in sifting a sieve full of un-sifted thistles,

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

    Success to the successful thistle-sifter!

Thank the other three brothers of their father's mother's brother's side.

They both, though, have thirty-three thick thimbles to thaw.

Irish wristwatch.

Fred fed Ted bread, and Ted fed Fred bread.

Cows graze in groves on grass, which grows in grooves in groves.

Brisk brave brigadiers brandished broad bright blades,

    blunderbusses, and bludgeons -- balancing them badly.

Tragedy strategy.

Selfish shellfish.

They have left the thrift shop, and lost both their theater tickets and the

    volume of valuable licenses and coupons for free theatrical frills and thrills.

Thanks so much for reading!  I hope these will be lots of fun for each of you, and a great help and benefit to you all.  Singing requires an investment of time and energy, as well as some disciplined, hard work BUT these Tongue Twisters are a great way to inject a bit of entertainment into an otherwise ordinary vocal workout.  This is a perfect way to "season" your vocal practice time and keep things interesting.  For questions about me or my lessons, check my website at www.SingitForward.net.  Please send me your questions, comments, and suggestions for future blog post ideas.  Thanks!  Sing it forward!