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Twist Your Tongue!

Here are some of my favorite tongue twisters. Send me your favorites and I'll add them here.


My favorite tongue twister is "Bitty Botter", but evidently there are MANY versions of this one. The first one here is the way I remember it (mis-remember it?) from a book I had when I was little. If anyone knows what book this may have been please tell me! The second one here is another version I found.

Bitty Botter

Bitty Botter bought bum butter.
"Blah!" said she, "bum butter's bitter
But it's blended in my batter
and it's made my batter bitter.
If I buy some better butter
it will make by bitter batter better."
Bitty Botter bought better butter,
put it in her bitter batter,
now the bitter batter's better.


Betty Botter

Betty Botter bought some butter,
But, she said, the butter's bitter.
If I put it in my batter,
it will make by batter bitter.
But a bit of better butter--
That would make by batter better.
So she bought a bit of butter,
Better than her bitter butter.
And she put it in her batter,
And the batter was not bitter.
So 'twas better Betty Botter
Bought a bit of better butter.


Here are some to try to say 3 times fast. Good Luck!

Cuthbert's custard

Lemon liniment

Red leather, yellow leather

A knapsack strap

Toy boat


From Ali...

Red Lorry, Yellow Lorry


Ned Nott

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.


Can you imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie?


Six silent snakes slither slowly southward.

Six selfish shellfish

8 gray geese grazing gaily into Greece

Sixty-six sickly chicks

Six thick swamps

Six thin thistle sticks


A conversation between a woman who has left some pots to be mended and the repairman:

"Are you copper bottoming 'um, my man?"
"No, I'm aluminuming 'um, mum."


The next one is VERY lengthy. It is over three hundred words long and every one starts with the letter "s". If anyone knows what "sartin" means please email me! click here to see what folks think it means.

Shrewd Simon Short

Shrewd Simon Short sewed shoes. Seventeen summers saw Simon's small, shabby shop still standing, saw Simon's selfsame squeaking sign still swinging swiftly, specifying:

SIMON SHORT
Smithfield's Sole Surviving
SHOEMAKER
Shoes Soled - Sewed Superfinely

Smon's Spouse, Sally Short, sewed sheets, stitched shirts, stuffed sofas.
Simon's stout sturdy sons -- Stephen, Samuel, Saul, Silas -- sold sundries. Stephen sold silks, satins, shawls. Samuel sold saddles, stirrups. Saul sold silver spoons, specialties. Silas sold Sally Short's stuffed sofas.
Simon's second son, Samuel, saw Sophia Sophronia Spriggs somewhere. Sweet, sensible, Smart Sophia Sophronia Spriggs. Sam soon showed strange symptoms. Surprisingly, Sam sighed sorrowfully, sang several serenades slyly, sought Sophia Spriggs' society, seldom stood selling saddles.
Simon stormed, scowled severly, said, "Sam seems so silly singing such senseless songs".
"Softly," said sweet Sally. "Sam's smitten. Sam's spied some sweetheart."
"Smitten!" snarled Simon. "Scatterbrained simpleton! Sentimental, silly schoolboy!"
Sally signed sadly. Summoning Sam, she spoke sympathizingly. "Sam," said she, "Sire seems singularly snappish. So, Sonny, stop strolling streets so soberly, stop singing sly serenades. Sell saddles sensibly, Sam. See Sophia Sophronia Spriggs speedily."
"So soon?" said Sam, startled.
"So soon, surely," said Sally, smilingly, "specially since Sire shows such spirit."
So Sam, somewhat scared, sauntered slowly storeward, shaking stupendously. "Sophia Sophronia Spriggs... Sam Short's spouse... sounds splendid," said Sam softly.
Sam soon spied Sophia starching shirts, singing softly. Seeing Sam, she stopped, saluting Sam smilingly.
Sam stuttered shockingly. "Sp-sp-splendid s-s-summer s-s-season, So-So-Sophia."
"Somewhat sultry," suggested Sophia.
"S-s-sartin," said Sam.
"Still selling saddles, Sam?" said Sophia.
"S-s-sartin," said Sam.
Silence, seventeen seconds.
"Sire shot sixteen snipe Saturday, Sam," said Sophia.
Silence, seventy-seven seconds.
"See sister Sue's sunflowers," said Sophia socially, stopping such stiff silence.
Such sprightly sauciness stimulated Sam strangely. So, swiftly speaking, Sam said, "Sue's sunflowers seem saying, 'Sophia Sophronia Spriggs, Samuel Short stroll serenely, seek some sparkling streams, sing some sweet, soul-stirring strain...'"
Sophia snickered, so Sam stopped. She stood silently several seconds.
Said Sam, "Stop smiling, Sophia. Sam's seeking some sweet spouse!"
She still stood silently.
"Speak, Sophia, speak! Such silence speculates sorrow."
"Seek Sire Spriggs, Sam," said Sophia.
Sam sought Sire Spriggs.
Sire Spriggs said, "Sartin."



Smart Fellers
Sent by Kelly Massie

One smart feller, he felt smart,
Two smart fellers, they felt smart,
Three smart fellers, they all felt smart!



The Hottentot Tot
Sent by Kelly Massie (from her dad)

If a hottentot tot taught a hottentot tot
to talk 'ere the tot could totter,
Ought the hottentot tot be taught to say,
"ought", or "naught" or what ought to be taught her?

If to hoot and to toot, a hottentot tot
be taught by a hottentot tutor,
Should the tutor get hot if the hottentot tot
hoot and toot at the hottentot tutor?



The bear and the boar

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
That boar that bored him on the moor.
And so one morn he bored the boar--
That boar will bore the bear no more.

Tree toads

A tree toad loved a she-toad
That lived up in a tree.
She was a three-toed tree toad,
But a two-toed toad was he.
The two-toed toad tried to win
The she-toad's friendly nod,
For the two-toed toad loved the ground
On which the three-toed toad trod.
But no matter how the two-toed tree toad tried,
He could not please her whim.
In her tree-toad bower,
With her three-toed power,
The she-toad vetoed him.


From MMCCABE...

Six slimy slender snakes slowly slithered southward


From Ry...

She sells seashells on the seashore
The shells she sells are seashells I'm sure
I'm sure the shells she sells are seashore shells

and

The Leith police dismisseth us.


From Kevin...

The Skunk Sat on the Stump and Thunk the Stump Stunk, but the Stump Thunk the Stump Stunk.


From Noah...

My name is Noah... I am 7 years old. My grandma and I love tongue twisters. We thought of a good one for you to add to yoru list of twisters... Can you say it three times? Hope you like it.

Chocolate clunk chunk


If you like tongue twisters, be sure to watch Pinky and the Brain for an excellent episode full of them called "You said a mouseful". It takes place (mostly) in the Hackensack Socko Kicky-Sack Sack-Kicker Factory. It's incredible!

 

 

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