Tongue Twister Day

By Diane Forrest,

One of the first things I started with I brought my baby home from the hospital was to read to him.  We would read every day, and as he got older we would go to the library and fill up a bag full of books.  He loved the books by Dr. Seuss.  He loved them because they were always silly, rhyming and fun to say.

one fish two fish red fish blue fish

black fish blue fish old fish new fish

When he turned "sweet" sixteen I gave him a huge party at our church with the youth group he had grown up with.  The theme of the party was Dr. Seuss.  I ordered stovetop hats for all the guests, and had Dr. Seuss books on all the tables.  The kids all grabbed books and took turns reading them aloud and they all had a blast with the tongue twisters.  What my parents thought was a bad idea turned into not only a great time for everyone, but that year, the homecoming these at his school was also Dr. Seuss, and they took all the decorations to use for their dance.

Today is International Tongue Twister Day.  Not only is it a fun thing to do, trying to say complicated sayings, but they are also useful if you are trying to correct a speech impediment such as stuttering.  Some favorite tongue twisters include:

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.

A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked,

If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.

How many pickled peppers did Peter Piper pick?

She sells sea-shells on the sea-shore.

The shells she sells are sea-shells, I'm sure.

For if she sells sea-shells on the sea-shore

Then I'm sure she sells sea-shore shells.

Betty Botter bought a bit of butter.

The butter Betty Botter bought was a bit bitter

And made her batter bitter.

But a bit of better butter makes better batter.

So Betty Botter bought a bit of better butter

Making Betty Botter's bitter batter better

Some tongue twisters are short phrases that can be used in contests such as...say this three times fast:

A Proper Copper Coffee Pot.

Betty bopper's battering batton made bertie bopper bite her.

Cecily thought Sicily less thistly than Thessaly.

Irish wristwatch.

Peggy Babcock.

Pleasant mother pheasant plucker.

Red Leather, Yellow Leather.

Red Lorry, Yellow Lorry.

Rubber Baby Buggy Bumper.

Smiley shlug with Shloer.

Toy boat.

Unique New York.

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the most difficult tongue twister in the English language is: "The sixth sick sheikh's sixth sheep's sick."

So, today, why not get together with your friends and family. And have a contest to see who can win at the tongue twister game.