“Now Peter Piper picked peppers, but Run rapped rhymes.
Humpty Dumpty fell down, that’s his hard time.
Jack B. Nimble, what, nimble, and he was quick,
But Jam Master was faster, Jack saw Jay’s dick.
Now little Bo Peep cold lost her sheep
And Rip van Winkle fell the hell asleep.
And Alice stilled her hunger in Wonderland
Jack, Jill busta in his hand.
And Jam Master Jay is making out our sound,
The turntables might wobble but they don’t fall down.”
Ok, that’s Run-DMC, but the idea of tongue twisters got me thinking of that song for some reason. Go ahead and try to say those lyrics quickly and then listen to the masters do it.
In the spirit of that groundbreaking rap group, let’s look at 12 of the toughest tongue twisters in the English language.
1.“Pad kid poured curd pulled cod.”
2.“Brisk brave brigadiers brandished broad bright blades, blunderbusses, and bludgeons—balancing them badly.”
3.“If you must cross a coarse, cross cow across a crowded cow crossing, cross the cross, coarse cow across the crowded cow crossing carefully.”
4.“How can a clam cram in a clean cream can?”
5.“Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager managing an imaginary menagerie.”
https://www.flickr.com/photos/mindygerecke/8616213301
6. “Send toast to ten tense stout saints’ ten tall tents.”
7. “Rory the warrior and Roger the worrier were reared wrongly in a rural brewery.”
8. “Six sick hicks nick six slick bricks with picks and sticks.”
9. “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.”
10. “The 33 thieves thought that they thrilled the throne throughout Thursday.”
11. “The sixth sick sheik’s sixth sheep’s sick.”
12.“Can you can a canned can into an un-canned can like a canner can can a canned can into an un-canned can?”
I mean…right?
Can you do all of these? Bravo if you can!
