Tell that ten times: Inside the world of tongue twisters

Try this tongue twister out: “The sixth sick sheik’s sixth sheep’s sick”. We are imagining you constantly stumble over the words. Now, let’s explore everything there is to know about these tongue twisters.

Firstly, let us define what a tongue twister is. It is a short phrase in which similar sounds are repeated at a rapid pace. The words in this phrase are usually similar sounding, are alliterative (starting with the same letter or sound), or both.

Sea shells, like the ones she sells on the seashore.
| Photo Credit:
FLICKR

From early folklore to present day

Tongue twisters have their roots in oral tradition and folklore around the world, like in nursery rhymes. In English, some of the earliest tongue twisters originated in the 18th Century, in a book called The Twelfth Statute of His Majesty King Altered. The book contained a line which said “around the rugged rocks the ragged rascal ran.” By the Victorian era, collections of tongue twisters were published as election exercises and parlour games.

Do you remember the “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,” tongue twister? That was first found in a collection called Peter Piper’s Practical Principles of Plain and Perfect Pronunciation (1813). The collection also had a tongue twister for every letter in the English alphabet. Another popular tongue twister, “She sells seashells on the seashore”, was written as a diction exercise in the 1850s.

A peck of pickled peppers. Like the ones Peter Piper picked.
| Photo Credit:
FLICKR

In ancient Russia, tongue twisters were just funny phrases said by jesters in the court rather than diction exercises. Traveling performers would amuse crowds by challenging them to repeat fast, tricky rhymes. Most of them couldn’t do it — much to everyone’s amusement. The first collection of tongue twisters for children was published in 1862 by Vladimir Dal, and it was called Proverbs of the Russian People. They were designed to challenge, amuse, and help develop speech articulation.

““Moses supposes his toeses are roses,
but Moses supposes erroneously.
For Moses he knowses his toeses aren’t roses
as Moses supposes his toeses to be.””– “Moses supposes his toeses are roses”One of the tongue twisters featured in Danny Kane’s song

In the 1950s, singer Danny Kaye recorded a song called “Tongue Twisters”, featuring recitals of many tongue twisters, including, “Moses supposes his toes are roses”, “Tito and Toto”, and more.

In his 1964 work Oh Say Can You Say!, Dr. Seuss featured about 24 tongue twisters. That same year, Disney’s ‘Mary Poppins’ featured the word ‘Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious’ (try saying that).

Red lorry, yellow lorry, another famous tongue twister.
| Photo Credit:
FLICKR

Today, you can find tongue twister challenges across social media and the internet. Instagram has a few good reels challenging people to try tongue twisters in various languages.

Tongue-tied

Now, what makes these phrases so difficult to say? Well, let us look at the tongue twister we opened with. Notice the constant back-and-forth altercation between the ‘s’ sound and the ‘sh’ sound. This can be one of the things that makes it so difficult to say. Our brain and mouth are in constant co-ordination with each other, and in sentences like these, the brain often struggles to quickly distinguish the very similar sounds.

The brain preps itself to anticipate upcoming sounds to save time, but similar phonemes in proximity lead to premature shifts or substitutions. Patterns like alternating consonants (e.g., s/sh sounds) amplify errors. Quick recitation can also exceed limits, repetition can increase slips between strong and weak consonants and can affect precision in pronunciation.

The text in the image is a popular
tongue twister in Tamil script, which
can be transliterated as “Kokku netta
kokku, netta kokku itta mutta katta
mutta” (Translated: A tall crane is a
tall crane, the egg laid by the tall
crane is a hard egg).
| Photo Credit:
FLICKR

Beyond fun

Of course, tongue twisters aren’t just for fun. They come in handy for various reasons:

• Vocal warm-ups and diction practice for singers, show anchors, and actors

• Developing speech skills and cognitive function

• Enhance fluency and clarity

• Increase in confidence as you master tongue twisters

Enjoyment in stumbling

We don’t enjoy tough exams, do we? So, why do we enjoy tongue twisters in spite of the struggle? Well, the playful humour that comes with this physical and mental workout is one of the many reasons for this enjoyment. Mispronunciations that come with the many attempts of a tongue twister can be embarrassing and funny.

Tongue twisters are considered “riddles for the mouth” that break up the monotony of language learning. They can also create a sense of healthy competition among people in a gathering.

Sometimes, popular tongue twisters can evoke a sense of nostalgia.

Tongue twisters show that language is not just communication — it can also be at play. Sometimes, a simple line of words can turn into a puzzle for the mouth, proving that language is at its most fun when it refuses to cooperate.

Published – March 18, 2026 10:00 am IST