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Droogan_Leader
11-29-2006, 11:13 AM
It occurred to me to start using these on my students to help with their pronunciation, and I thought I might screw with youze guys too. Enjoy these most ridiculous tongue twisters, and feel free to add any you know ;)



Here goes.. good luck!


Six sick slick slim sycamore saplings.

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?

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

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 sea shells 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.

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

Can you can a can as quickly as a canner can can a can?

Denise sees the fleece,
Denise sees the fleas.
At least Denise could sneeze
and feed and freeze the fleas.

How can a clam cram in a clean cream can?

I saw Susie sitting in a shoe shine shop.
Where she sits she shines, and where she shines she sits.

A quick witted cricket critic.

I wish to wish the wish you wish to wish, but if you wish the wish the witch wishes, I won't wish the wish you wish to wish.

There was a fisherman named Fisher
who fished for some fish in a fissure.
Till a fish with a grin,
pulled the fisherman in.
Now they're fishing the fissure for Fisher.

To sit in solemn silence in a dull dark dock
In a pestilential prison with a life long lock
Awaiting the sensation of a short sharp shock
From a cheap and chippy chopper on a big black block.

Picky people pick Peter Pan Peanut-Butter, 'tis the peanut-butter picky people pick.

Luke's duck likes lakes. Luke Luck licks lakes. Luke's duck licks lakes. Duck takes licks in lakes Luke Luck likes. Luke Luck takes licks in lakes duck likes.

If Pickford's packers packed a packet of crisps would the packet of crisps that Pickford's packers packed survive for two and a half years?

Did Dick Pickens prick his pinkie pickling cheap cling peaches in an inch of Pinch or framing his famed French finch photos?

How much wood could Chuck Woods' woodchuck chuck, if Chuck Woods' woodchuck could and would chuck wood? If Chuck Woods' woodchuck could and would chuck wood, how much wood could and would Chuck Woods' woodchuck chuck? Chuck Woods' woodchuck would chuck, he would, as much as he could, and chuck as much wood as any woodchuck would, if a woodchuck could and would chuck wood.

Mary Mac's mother's making Mary Mac marry me.
My mother's making me marry Mary Mac.
Will I always be so Merry when Mary's taking care of me?
Will I always be so merry when I marry Mary Mac?

She saw Sherif's shoes on the sofa. But was she so sure she saw Sherif's shoes on the sofa?

Through three cheese trees three free fleas flew.
While these fleas flew, freezy breeze blew.
Freezy breeze made these three trees freeze.
Freezy trees made these trees' cheese freeze.
That's what made these three free fleas sneeze.

Birdie birdie in the sky laid a turdie in my eye.
If cows could fly I'd have a cow pie in my eye.

A twister of twists once twisted a twist;
A twist that he twisted was a three-twisted twist;
If in twisting a twist one twist should untwist,
The untwisted twist would untwist the twist.

Near an ear, a nearer ear, a nearly eerie ear.

The great Greek grape growers grow great Greek grapes.

How much caramel can a canny canonball cram in a camel if a canny canonball can cram caramel in a camel?

Yellow butter, purple jelly, red jam, black bread.
Spread it thick, say it quick!
Yellow butter, purple jelly, red jam, black bread.
Spread it thicker, say it quicker!
Yellow butter, purple jelly, red jam, black bread.
Don't eat with your mouth full!

If you're keen on stunning kites and cunning stunts,
buy a cunning stunning stunt kite.

Yally Bally had a jolly golliwog. Feeling folly, Yally Bally Bought his jolly golli' a dollie made of holly! The golli', feeling jolly, named the holly dollie, Polly. So Yally Bally's jolly golli's holly dollie Polly's also jolly!

John, where Peter had had ""had had"", had had ""had"";
""had had"" had had his master's approval.

If you can't can any candy can,
how many candy cans can a candy canner can
if he can can candy cans ?

Mo mi mo me send me a toe,
Me me mo mi get me a mole,
Mo mi mo me send me a toe,
Fe me mo mi get me a mole,
Mister kister feet so sweet,
Mister kister where will I eat !?

Will you, William? Will you, William? Will you, William?
Can't you, don't you, won't you, William?

She stood on the balcony, inexplicably mimicking him hiccuping, and amicably welcoming him in.

Old Mr. Hunt
had a cuddy punt
Not a cuddy punt
but a hunt punt cuddy.

I'm not the fig plucker,
Nor the fig plucker's son,
but I'll pluck your figs
till the fig plucker comes.

A gazillion gigantic grapes gushed
gradually giving gophers gooey guts.

Seven sleazy shysters in sharkskin suits sold sheared sealskins to seasick sailors.

But a harder thing still to do.
What a to do to die today
At a quarter or two to two.
A terrible difficult thing to say
But a harder thing still to do.
The dragon will come at the beat of the drum
With a rat-a-tat-tat a-tat-tat a-tat-to
At a quarter or two to two today,
At a quarter or two to two.

The seething sea ceaseth; thus the seething sea sufficeth us.

Dr. Johnson and Mr. Johnson, after great consideration, came to the conclusion that the Indian nation beyond the Indian Ocean is back in education because the chief occupation is cultivation.

Dr. Johnson and Mr. Johnson, after great consideration, came to the conclusion that the Indian nation beyond the Indian Ocean is back in education because the chief occupation is cultivation.

As he gobbled the cakes on his plate,
the greedy ape said as he ate,
the greener green grapes are,
the keener keen apes are
to gobble green grape cakes,
they're great!

How much dew does a dewdrop drop
If dewdrops do drop dew?
They do drop, they do
As do dewdrops drop
If dewdrops do drop dew.

Six shining cities, six shining cities, six shining cities.

Blake's black bike's back brake bracket block broke.

Sweet sagacious Sally Sanders said she sure saw seven segregated seaplanes sailing swiftly southward Saturday.

No nose knows like a gnome's nose knows.

You know New York.
You need New York.
You know you need unique New York.

Ripe white wheat reapers reap ripe white wheat right.

I am a mother pheasant plucker,
I pluck mother pheasants.
I am the best mother pheasant plucker,
that ever plucked a mother pheasant!

Mrs Hunt had a country cut front
in the front of her country cut pettycoat.

If you stick a stock of liquor in your locker
it is slick to stick a lock upon your stock
or some joker who is slicker
is going to trick you of your liquor
if you fail to lock your liquor with a lock.

Theophilus Thadeus Thistledown, the successful thistle-sifter, while sifting a sieve-full of unsifted thistles, thrust three thousand thistles through the thick of his thumb. Now, if Theophilus Thadeus Thistledown, the successful thistle-sifter, thrust three thousand thistles through the thick of his thumb, see that thou, while sifting a sieve-full of unsifted thistles, thrust not three thousand thistles through the thick of thy thumb.

Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear,
Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair,
Fuzzy Wuzzy wasn't very fuzzy,
was he?

The bottle of perfume that Willy sent
was highly displeasing to Millicent.
Her thanks were so cold
that they quarreled, I'm told
o'er that silly scent Willy sent Millicent

Esau Wood sawed wood. All the wood Esau Wood saw, Esau Wood would saw. All the wood Wood saw, Esau sought to saw. One day Esau Wood's wood-saw would saw no wood. So Esau Wood sought a new wood-saw. The new wood-saw would saw wood. Oh, the wood Esau Wood would saw. Esau sought a saw that would saw wood as no other wood-saw would saw. And Esau found a saw that would saw as no other wood-saw would saw. And Esau Wood sawed wood.

Extinct insects' instincts, extant insects' instincts.

Ed 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, the shot was Shott, not Nott. However, the shot Shott shot shot not Shott - but Nott. So, Ed Nott was shot and that's hot! Is it not?


Here's an easy game to play.
Here's an easy thing to say:

If a packet hits a pocket on a socket on a port,
And the bus is interrupted as a very last resort,
And the address of the memory makes your floppy disk abort,
Then the socket packet pocket has an error to report!

If your cursor finds a menu item followed by a dash,
And the double-clicking icon puts your window in the trash,
And your data is corrupted 'cause the index doesn't hash,
then your situation's hopeless, and your system's gonna crash!

You can't say this? What a shame, sir!
We'll find you another game, sir.

If the label on the cable on the table at your house,
Says the network is connected to the button on your mouse,
But your packets want to tunnel on another protocol,
That's repeatedly rejected by the printer down the hall,
And your screen is all distorted by the side effects of gauss,
So your icons in the window are as wavy as a souse,
Then you may as well reboot and go out with a bang,
'Cause as sure as I'm a poet, the sucker's gonna hang!

When the copy of your floppy's getting sloppy on the disk,
And the microcode instructions cause unnecessary risk,
Then you have to flash your memory and you'll want to ram your rom.
Quickly turn off the computer and be sure to tell your mom!

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.

Give me the gift of a grip-top sock,
A clip drape shipshape tip top sock.
Not your spinslick slapstick slipshod stock,
But a plastic, elastic grip-top sock.
None of your fantastic slack swap slop
From a slap dash flash cash haberdash shop.
Not a knick knack knitlock knockneed knickerbocker sock
With a mock-shot blob-mottled trick-ticker top clock.
Not a supersheet seersucker rucksack sock,
Not a spot-speckled frog-freckled cheap sheik's sock
Off a hodge-podge moss-blotched scotch-botched block.
Nothing slipshod drip drop flip flop or glip glop
Tip me to a tip top grip top sock.

If a Hottentot 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 'er?

How many cans can a canner can if a canner can can cans? A canner can can as many cans as a canner can if a canner can can cans.

Tommy, Tommy, toiling in a tailor's shop.
All day long he fits and tucks,
all day long he tucks and fits,
and fits and tucks, and tucks and fits,
and fits and tucks, and tucks and fits.
Tommy, Tommy, toiling in a tailor's shop.

I bought a bit of baking powder and baked a batch of biscuits. I brought a big basket of biscuits back to the bakery and baked a basket of big biscuits. Then I took the big basket of biscuits and the basket of big biscuits and mixed the big biscuits with the basket of biscuits that was next to the big basket and put a bunch of biscuits from the basket into a biscuit mixer and brought the basket of biscuits and the box of mixed biscuits and the biscuit mixer to the bakery and opened a tin of sardines.

I'm a mother pheasant plucker.
I pluck mother pheasants.
I'm the pleasantest mother pheasant plucker,
That ever plucked a mother pheasant.
Actually, ...
I'm Not the pheasant plucker,
I'm the pheasant plucker's son.
But I'll stay and pluck the pheasants
Till the pheasant plucking's done!

Antonio_Bay
11-29-2006, 01:38 PM
Rugged rubber baby buggy bumpers.

DarthMaulRat
11-29-2006, 02:20 PM
Okay, I can't honestly tell you that I read every single one of those out loud, but I did read about half. And man... I think I've developed a lisp. Pretty interesting how many pronounciations of 'S' there are, depending on the letter following or preceding it. No wonder people are starting to "axe" questions, instead of "ask"ing them.

[begin rant; anger volume=moderate]
I bring up the "axe" thing, because in my final college class, there were oral reports a plenty (trust me, its less kinky than it sounds). Anyway, the reports were on journalists we interviewed, and this one girl must have said "I axed her" like 30 times. My jaw dropped to the ground, but half the class thought nothing of it. This is a journalism class!!! But apparently murdering the english language has little to do with good writing.

Seriously, what has the world come too? I blame society. Nah... that's too vague. Let's just blame Nancy Grace. [/end rant]

Zens7s
11-29-2006, 03:03 PM
I also get very annoyed with the following pronounciation problems:

Saying "reZorces" instead of "resources". It makes me grind my nails into my hand when people on my conference calls repeat this over and over.

"Pacific" instead of "Specific". Why can't you be more Pacific?

Axe instead of Ask

Pronoucing the "S" in Illinois. (Ahem, Texans). When people do this I always have the same reply: "Illinois's? Are there two? Like the Dakotas?"

Any use of "irregardless".

Droogan_Leader
11-29-2006, 03:40 PM
I also get very annoyed with the following pronounciation problems:

Saying "reZorces" instead of "resources". It makes me grind my nails into my hand when people on my conference calls repeat this over and over.

"Pacific" instead of "Specific". Why can't you be more Pacific?

Axe instead of Ask

Pronoucing the "S" in Illinois. (Ahem, Texans). When people do this I always have the same reply: "Illinois's? Are there two? Like the Dakotas?"

Any use of "irregardless".
Oh my God, 'irregardless' drives me absolutely up a wall.

Plus all the other blunders mentioned.

Yeah, I didn't mean to give everyone a headache, but by time I went through all of them [I was compiling them for the rest of my classes tomorrow] I was developing a complex.

I'm proud to say that after all of that, the Hungarians and Slovaks were pretty peeved. They decided to give me some of their tongue twisters, which I think are pretty easy--a lot of "rrrr" sounds thrown in there for the Slovaks, and for Hungarians, "euh" sounds [if that makes any sense]. Anyway, English tongue twisters rule.

The one about Theophilus Thaddeus Thistledown got them EVERY TIME. Score for the Americans.

Aaron
11-29-2006, 04:15 PM
Yeah, or not putting the letter "u" in colour

... how crazy would you have to be?

phit_demon
11-30-2006, 02:03 PM
Seriously, what has the world come too? I blame society. Nah... that's too vague. Let's just blame Nancy Grace. [/end rant]
What the hell is Tom Cruise about to do to her?!

http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/original/gracejune19.jpg
I also get very annoyed with the following pronounciation problems:

Saying "reZorces" instead of "resources". It makes me grind my nails into my hand when people on my conference calls repeat this over and over.

"Pacific" instead of "Specific". Why can't you be more Pacific?

Axe instead of Ask

Pronoucing the "S" in Illinois. (Ahem, Texans). When people do this I always have the same reply: "Illinois's? Are there two? Like the Dakotas?"

Any use of "irregardless".
"Over-exaggerate" is my particular poison. *shudder*

Another one that drives me batty is when people write "of" instead of "have". For instance, when someone shortens "should have" to "should've", but actually writes "should of". It's retarded.

EternalStrife
12-03-2006, 10:12 PM
Tongue twisters? And here I thought it was some MK thing.

Razorback
12-04-2006, 01:24 AM
Any use of "irregardless".

Unfortunately, it was such a commonly used word that it is now officially part of the English language. :mad:

Droogan_Leader
12-04-2006, 06:20 AM
Unfortunately, it was such a commonly used word that it is now officially part of the English language. :mad:
Say it ain't so. I can't believe that. Where'd you get that information? If you are right, my friend, the language has officially gone to hell.

phit_demon
12-04-2006, 09:02 AM
Say it ain't so. I can't believe that. Where'd you get that information? If you are right, my friend, the language has officially gone to hell.
Welcome To Hell (http://dictionary.reference.com/search?r=2&q=irregardless)

DarthMaulRat
12-04-2006, 10:18 AM
Welcome To Hell (http://dictionary.reference.com/search?r=2&q=irregardless)

Not that dictionaries are the end all be all of words we use, but that site does point out irregardless as being an informal, or even incorrect word. The site also lists "ain't", but recognizes it as informal, or even slang.

Of course, the Oxford English Language dictionary added "bootylicious" a year or two back. Damn those hipster dictionaries!! ;)

Zens7s
12-04-2006, 11:12 AM
Unfortunately, it was such a commonly used word that it is now officially part of the English language. :mad:
And people wonder why it is so difficult to learn the English language.

marksiwel
12-04-2006, 11:46 AM
Yeah, or not putting the letter "u" in colour

... how crazy would you have to be?

U? Why dont you throw an F in front that U, beacuase thats what you can do.

Colour, Shoppe, Armour ect...
You people just love throwing extra worthless letters on short words.

DarthMaulRat
12-04-2006, 12:45 PM
A little brash, but to the point. After all, England did go through a period where they felt that almost every word should end in 'e', just cause it was aesthetically pleasing.

Droogan_Leader
12-04-2006, 06:19 PM
Welcome To Hell (http://dictionary.reference.com/search?r=2&q=irregardless)
ALL true grammar nazis know that dictionary.com is the offscouring of all reputable sources of what is good and holy about the English language. In short, don't use them. They are an embarrassment. It makes me sick how it says that the word can be used to add emphasis. I think I'm gonna chuck now.

Droogan_Leader
12-04-2006, 06:21 PM
Not that dictionaries are the end all be all of words we use, but that site does point out irregardless as being an informal, or even incorrect word. The site also lists "ain't", but recognizes it as informal, or even slang.

Of course, the Oxford English Language dictionary added "bootylicious" a year or two back. Damn those hipster dictionaries!! ;)
Of course, the Oxford English Language dictionary added "bootylicious" a year or two back. Damn those hipster dictionaries!!

I don't know, I feel like I can get 'behind' a word like bootylicious. It's just drips off the tongue, don't you think? :)

Also, don't hate because I'm the Pun Master. Okay, go ahead and hate.

By-tor
12-04-2006, 07:28 PM
Of course, the Oxford English Language dictionary added "bootylicious" a year or two back. Next to the definition:
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-6/758332/DSC00576BW.jpg
:)

Aaron
12-05-2006, 10:29 AM
You people
You can just call me white
Let's not dilly dally around racial P.C.ness

... if you're Irish, does that count as an ethnicity?

marksiwel
12-06-2006, 01:01 AM
You can just call me white
Let's not dilly dally around racial P.C.ness

... if you're Irish, does that count as an ethnicity?

I dont know....does it?
Ethnicity is a man made thing anyway. Basically its just calling a list of gentic traits that have passed from people from general geographical regions.

Thats why I never got the whole Jew thing. Because if you convert into it, are you now that Ethnicity?
Its too messed up

Droogan_Leader
12-06-2006, 04:49 PM
I dont know....does it?
Ethnicity is a man made thing anyway. Basically its just calling a list of gentic traits that have passed from people from general geographical regions.

Thats why I never got the whole Jew thing. Because if you convert into it, are you now that Ethnicity?
Its too messed up
You will never be a Jew if you are not of the Jewish race.

You may convert to the religion Judaism, however. The two are distinct.

To answer Aaron's question, no one cares.

Aaron
12-07-2006, 11:59 AM
To answer Aaron's question, no one cares.
You could cut the sexual tension there with a knife...

It's OK.
I want you too

Droogan_Leader
12-07-2006, 01:45 PM
Haha, I needed a Yuletide chuckle. Thanks ;)