Tongue Twisters

This passage is about tongue twisters and how they can actually be helpful with our ability to speak properly.

Lexile Level: 1140L

Categories: People & Places

Tongue twisters are deliberately difficult sentences or phrases designed to trip the tongue with sounds that are similar but not alike. They often use both rhyme and alliteration, the repetition of beginning consonant sounds. "She sells sea shells on the sea shore" can be hard to say correctly because it is easy to confuse the "s" and "sh" sounds. Some tongue twisters are easy to say slowly but become increasingly difficult with speed. "Toy boat" is difficult to repeat several times quickly because it's hard to change tongue and lip positions quickly. Tongue twisters can be fun to try, and it can be amusing to hear others try them. However, they can serve a more important purpose. Tongue twisters can provide excellent practice material for someone who wants to improve his or her enunciation of words. They can also be useful for anyone learning another language who wants to practice pronunciation skills.