Tongue Twisters
One twister on the card, three tries at full speed, and a room waiting for the first slip.
- Time
- 5–20 min
- Players
- Two or more people
- Best for
- Game nights, long drives and warming up before a talk
- Deck
- 150 twisters in 6 categories
How to use these tongue twisters
- Pick a category from the menu under the card, or keep “All categories”.
- Read the top card slowly once, then say it three times fast. Everyone else listens for the slip.
- Swipe the card away, or tap “Next twister”, for another. Twisters do not repeat until you have seen the whole category.
- Tap the heart to save a twister on this device, or tap “Make a 10-twister list” for a list to read from at a party.
When to play tongue twisters
A tongue twister takes ten seconds to say and needs nothing but a voice, so it fits the gaps: a lull at the table, a stretch of highway, the minute before a call starts. The fun is in the slip, and everyone slips sooner or later.
A game night at home
Pass the phone between rounds of a longer game. Silly sentences, like the walrus in a wobbly woolen wig, get a laugh even when someone says them perfectly.
A long drive
The passenger reads a card and everyone in the car takes a turn. Quick and short twisters work best on the road, since nobody needs to see the screen to repeat red leather, yellow leather.
Before a talk or a video call
Two or three cards from R and L or P, B and T, said slowly and then faster, get your mouth moving before you speak to a room or a camera.
Ways to play with these tongue twisters
Three times fast, then pass
The player holding the phone reads the card once at normal speed, then says it three times as fast as they can. Clean or tangled, the phone moves to the next person, who draws a new card. Go around the room twice, then switch categories.
Everyone takes the same twister
Draw one card from Quick and short and have the whole group say it in turn, one after another. Each round, go a little faster. When the circle starts to wobble, draw the next card and start again at an easy pace.
Speed ladder
Pick a card from Long and tricky. Say it once slowly, once at talking speed and once as fast as you can, while a friend counts the words you skip. Then hand over the same card and see whose version sounds clearest.
Tips for a good tongue twister round
- Start with Quick and short so everyone gets a few clean tries, then move to S and SH or R and L, where the slips come thick and fast.
- Say each twister slowly once before you speed up. Knowing the words by heart makes the fast version funnier, not easier.
- Different twisters trip different people. One friend sails through the R and L cards and stumbles on P, B and T, so let everyone pick a favorite category too.
All 150 tongue twisters by category
The complete list, grouped by category. The cards above draw from the same list, so you can read ahead here and play there.
Quick and short
Two to eight words that trip you on the third try, like red leather, yellow leather.
- Red leather, yellow leather.
- Unique New York.
- Irish wristwatch.
- A proper copper coffee pot.
- Fresh French fried fish.
- Greek grapes, great grapes.
- Thin sticks, thick bricks.
- Gray geese graze in a green glade.
Show all 25 in Quick and shortShow fewer
- Mixed biscuits, fixed whisks.
- Plain bun, plum jam, plum bun, plain jam.
- Crisp crusts crackle and crunch.
- Flash message, fresh message.
- Three free throws.
- Toast the roast, roast the toast.
- Lilac lemon lollipops.
- Yellow yo-yo, mellow yo-yo.
- Strange stretchy string.
- Eleven benevolent elephants.
- Pecan pie, peach pie, pumpkin pie.
- Glow worms glow, slow worms go.
- Quick kiwi, quiet kiwi.
- Rear wheel, real wheel.
- Wet wool, warm wool, worn wool.
- Sixty-six sticky stickers.
- Red bulb, blue bulb, red bulb, blue bulb.
S and SH sounds
Shoes, sheep, sunshine and sizzling sausages, all hissing and shushing at once.
- Sasha’s shoes shine in the sunshine.
- Six slim shelves hold sixty silver saucers.
- Sharon’s sheep shuffle slowly south.
- Sam’s shop stocks short socks and soft shawls.
- The sushi chef served Simon seven salmon slices.
- Seven swans swish softly past the shore.
- Shy Shelly sews shiny sequins on silk sashes.
- She shushed the sizzling sausages.
Show all 25 in S and SH soundsShow fewer
- Sunshine shows on the slick, shiny sidewalk.
- Sixteen shoppers shop for soap and sponges.
- The shoemaker’s shop shuts at six sharp.
- Sea snails slide past seven shy shrimp.
- Should Sheila sail, or should Sheila swim?
- Sean’s shed sheds shingles in a storm.
- Sally’s new shoes squeak on the shiny stairs.
- Sleepy seals sleep in shallow shade.
- The shrewd shrew shreds shrimp shells.
- Susie’s scissors snip slim, straight strips.
- Sloths stretch slowly in the slanting sunshine.
- Shelby shares sour sherbet on Saturdays.
- Shushing shoppers shop in silence.
- Stella’s sister slices sea-salt sourdough.
- Fish sauce, fresh sauce, fish sauce, fresh sauce.
- Sheepish shellfish shuffle sideways.
- Sharp shears shape six shrubs.
R and L sounds
Lilacs, rulers, rolls and rural roads that make the tongue flip back and forth.
- Round the rugged rock the ragged rascal ran.
- Lily’s lily lies on Ralph’s yellow rug.
- Real rock wall, real rock wall.
- Laura rarely relies on rulers.
- Rolling rivers race right past rows of reeds.
- Lola’s llama loves long, leafy lettuce leaves.
- Really rural roads rarely run right.
- Larry’s lawn rolls low, Laura’s lawn rolls lower.
Show all 25 in R and L soundsShow fewer
- A loyal royal lawyer.
- Rory’s red rolls are really rather round.
- Lovely lilacs line Lulu’s lane.
- The railroad rail runs really level.
- Rural ruler, rural ruler.
- Rhubarb rolls roll right off the rack.
- Lainey rarely relearns long lyrics.
- Roller ladder, roller ladder.
- Lara’s yellow railcar rarely runs late.
- Riley relies on reliable rollers.
- Lorelei relays really long relay races.
- Rare red roses rest along the rail.
- Lorna’s loyal retriever rarely leaves the lawn.
- The rural library rarely lends rare records.
- Lenny’s ladder leans really low.
- Rows of wrinkly lizards lounge on warm rocks.
- Rory lowers the rolled-up rug really, really slowly.
P, B and T sounds
Popping lips and tapping teeth, from Peter Piper’s peppers to Tom’s tall teapot.
- Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
- Betty Botter bought some butter, but, she said, the butter’s bitter.
- Fred fed Ted bread, and Ted fed Fred bread.
- Bob’s big blue bus beeps by the bakery.
- Polly’s pink pet pig plays the piano.
- Ten tin tubs tip on the tiled terrace.
- Bake a big batch of brown bran buns.
- Tom’s tall teapot tips toward Tim’s teacup.
Show all 25 in P, B and T soundsShow fewer
- Pat pats a plump puppy’s paws.
- Barbara’s bubbles burst by the big birch tree.
- Tilly’s tabby tiptoes through the tulips.
- Pink paper plates pile up by the pool.
- A big bag of bright blue balloons.
- Ted’s tent tilted toward the tall tree.
- Paula packed plums, pears and peanuts for the picnic.
- Bert’s brother bakes bagels before breakfast.
- Tiny tea tins tinkle on the tray.
- Pete’s pet parrot prefers plain popcorn.
- Big brown beavers build better bridges.
- Tip the top pot, tap the tip-top pot.
- Bonnie bought a bright pink bobble hat.
- Pip popped plump purple plums into a pot.
- Tess tests ten tart toffees.
- Bill’s big black bike bell beeps.
- Peppy puffins paddle past pebbly piers.
Long and tricky
Whole sentences that keep going, from the woodchuck to Flora’s flower shop and Wendy’s windy Wednesday.
- How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
- Brisk brass bands play bright ballads beside the busy bus stop before breakfast.
- A thin thinker thought three thousand thoughtful thoughts on a thundery Thursday.
- If Pat’s plaid plates pile past the pantry, who will put Pat’s plaid plates back?
- Wendy wondered which way the windy weather would wander on Wednesday.
- Six sleek swans swam swiftly south, so seven slow swans swam slowly south behind them.
- Grace’s great gray goat gladly grazes on green grass by the garden gate.
- The quick-witted cook quickly cooked crisp cookies for the cookie contest crew.
Show all 25 in Long and trickyShow fewer
- Fiona found five fine fresh figs for Frank’s fancy fruit salad on Friday.
- Clever crabs crawl crookedly across the cracked crust of the creek bed.
- Flora’s flower shop flourishes, for Flora’s flowers flower freely and fill Flora’s floor.
- Mister Mudd’s much-loved muddy mutt munched mushrooms in the misty meadow.
- Tilly’s tall tower of toast tilted, toppled and tumbled onto the tablecloth.
- Gertie’s green gloves glide gracefully over Gordon’s gray grand piano.
- Bright blue bluebirds bob blithely beside the babbling brook in the breeze.
- Quentin quietly quizzed the quirky quilt maker about her quaint, quilted quilts.
- Vivid violet velvet vests vary very little in value, Vera’s vendor vowed.
- Wally’s wheelbarrow wobbled while Wally whistled a wistful waltz all week.
- Chester chose cheddar cheese, cherry chutney and chewy chips for a chilly Sunday lunch.
- Thirty-three thrifty thrushes thought through three thrilling theories together.
- Dora’s dainty daisies dance daily during dry, dusty days in December.
- Frankly, Frank’s friends find Frank’s fritters far fluffier than Fran’s.
- Kate keeps her car keys in a cozy crocheted key case by the kitchen kettle.
- Mark’s marmalade, Martha’s mustard and Marty’s maple syrup made Monday’s muffins marvelous.
- Nell knows nine new notes, but Ned knows ninety-nine noteworthy notes.
Silly sentences
Walruses in wigs, gorillas grilling grapes and a pug hugging a mug, said at speed.
- Happy hippos hop on hot hammocks and hum.
- The goat wrote a note about a coat on a boat.
- A walrus waltzed while wearing a wobbly woolen wig.
- Seven sleepy squirrels squeezed into a single sock.
- A moose mixed mousse with mashed mangoes on Monday.
- Penguins in pink pajamas paint pine cones purple.
- A lazy lion lolled on a lumpy lavender lounger.
- Clever kangaroos cook cupcakes in a copper kettle.
Show all 25 in Silly sentencesShow fewer
- Old owls only hoot on odd-numbered hours.
- A frog in a fog jogged around a log.
- Twelve toads tap-dance on a tin tabletop.
- Brown bears bounce big blue beach balls.
- A snail mailed a pale whale a letter by rail.
- Giggling gorillas grill green grapes.
- The yak packed a snack in a black backpack.
- Eight octopuses ordered oatmeal at eight o’clock.
- Zany zebras zigzag through the zucchini patch.
- A fickle pickle tickled a nickel.
- Bruce’s loose goose chooses blue shoes.
- Jolly giraffes juggle jam jars in June.
- Nine noisy gnus knit noodles at noon.
- A crow in a coat crossed a creek in a canoe.
- Bumbling bumblebees bump into blueberry buns.
- A pug in a rug gave a mug a hug.
- Four fancy flamingos flip flapjacks for fun.
Frequently asked questions
How many tongue twisters are there?
There are 150 tongue twisters, 25 in each of six categories: quick and short, S and SH sounds, R and L sounds, P, B and T sounds, long and tricky, and silly sentences. A few are old favorites like Peter Piper and the woodchuck, and the rest are new.
What makes a tongue twister hard?
Sounds made in almost the same spot in the mouth, set right next to each other, like S beside SH or R beside L. The tongue has to switch back and forth in a split second. Saying the line three times in a row makes it harder still, because each try runs straight into the next.
Can tongue twisters help me warm up before a talk or a call?
They make a light warm-up. Read two or three cards from R and L or P, B and T out loud, first slowly and then a little faster, to get your lips and tongue moving before a presentation, a meeting or a video call.
What should we play after tongue twisters?
Keep the room talking with riddles, where one person reads and everyone races to guess. For a quieter turn after all that fast talking, charades ideas has words to act out without making a sound.