[Diction Training] A Collection of Tongue Twisters to Improve Articulation
Tongue twisters are phrases that you repeat as fast as you can, even though they’re hard to say.
Many of you may have played with them when you were kids.
Tongue twisters aren’t just a fun pastime—they’re also effective for improving your articulation.
In this article, we’ll introduce tongue twisters that help you speak more clearly!
They’re great not only for articulation practice if you’re aiming to become an announcer or voice actor, but also useful when you’re asked to give a wedding speech or have to present in front of your class.
Practice hard and use them to achieve your dreams and goals!
- A collection of long tongue twisters. Also recommended for practicing announcements and narration.
- Tongue twisters that will make you laugh out loud! Super funny
- Challenging tongue twisters: Introducing high-difficulty phrases and sentences!
- [Recreation] Challenge! A roundup of tongue twisters recommended for elementary school students
- [Diction Training] A Collection of Tongue Twisters to Improve Articulation
- Perfect for pronunciation practice! A collection of English tongue twisters.
- Can you say them? A collection of Hakata-dialect tongue twisters
- Can you say them? A collection of Nagoya-dialect tongue twisters
- “Chau chau, anta” — a Kansai-dialect tongue twister. A phrase only Kansai folks can say.
- [For Seniors] Boost Oral Function with Tongue Twisters! Recommended Picks to Try
- Chinese tongue twisters: A collection of rao kou ling helpful for learning Chinese
- Challenge together! A roundup of word games for adults
- [Rec] Interesting! A roundup of wordplay games
[Diction Training] A Collection of Tongue Twisters to Improve Articulation (11–20)
Consumption expenditures; Non-consumption expenditures
Let me introduce a somewhat tricky tongue twister: “consumption expenditure fee, non-consumption expenditure fee.” The words are quite similar, aren’t they? The term “consumption expenditure fee” refers to money paid in exchange for obtaining something—like food costs, rent, or entertainment expenses.
In contrast, “non-consumption expenditure fee” refers to money paid without directly getting something in return—such as social insurance premiums, health insurance, or consumption tax.
Keeping those meanings in mind, give it a try.
Once you master “consumption expenditure fee,” all you have to do is add “non-” to complete the second phrase.
Symphony, songs, concerto
As a tongue twister, it’s a short sentence, but it seems quite hard to say.
Right at the start with “symphony,” you might almost bite your tongue.
Picture the hiragana for “kōkyōkyoku” in your head and articulate it clearly.
The next word, “kakyoku” (art song), is easy to say on its own, but saying it right after “kōkyōkyoku” is much more challenging! Many people probably stumble when moving from the “ku” to the “ka” sound.
However, the final word, “kyōsōkyoku” (concerto), is easier to pronounce, so if you can make it through “kakyoku,” you can surely master the whole thing.
Do some mouth exercises first, then give it a try.
As a result of consultations among the instructors for each subject this semester in the Mechanical Department of the Naval Engineering School, the following have been finalized: science, geometry, mechanics, national language, foreign languages, drawing, civics.
With so many K-sound words, your speech might start to get choppy.
Even the first half is filled with words that could break your spirit, and the second half offers no mercy with its difficulty either.
Since it’s hard to tell where one word ends and the next begins when they’re just strung together, I recommend first separating and writing them out word by word.
Because there are so many words using the K consonant, once you can say them clearly, your overall K-sound pronunciation should improve as well.
The difficulty is high, but it’s a perfect prompt for articulation practice, so be sure to make use of it!
Frogs go pyoko-pyoko, three pyoko-pyoko; together pyoko-pyoko, six pyoko-pyoko.
If you can say it clearly, it sounds cool—this is one of the classic tongue twisters.
“Pyoko-pyoko” is just so hard to say! Quite a few people end up turning “pyo” into “po.” To deliver this one quickly and stylishly, start by pronouncing it slowly and make sure “pyo” doesn’t become “po.” Even after you can say it slowly, don’t speed up all at once—gradually pick up the pace.
Practice until you can say it well enough to show off with confidence.
Victory in an osteoporosis lawsuit
There are probably many people who don’t feel confident they can clearly say even just “osteoporosis” quickly.
Even if you break it into parts, each one is hard to pronounce, right? Since “so” and “shō” share the same vowel, it’s only natural that they get mixed up.
That’s exactly why it looks super cool if you can link each part smoothly and pronounce it without stumbling! Start by separating it, making each word crisp and clear, then connect them all, gradually increasing your speed as you practice.
Director of the Tokyo Patent Approval Bureau suddenly had his leave request denied today.
This is a more difficult version of the classic tongue twister “Tokyo Patent Approval Office.” Even just the commonly played first half is quite challenging, but after that, many words using kya, kyu, and kyo appear, making it harder and harder to keep your tongue moving.
To avoid getting tripped up by these palatalized sounds, try emphasizing the words that don’t contain them.
It’s also recommended to practice by breaking the passage into a few parts.
Once you can pronounce each word cleanly, try saying the whole thing quickly.
[Diction Training] A Collection of Tongue Twisters to Improve Articulation (21–30)
Ultimate luxury aircraft at a deserted Kyushu airport
This passage contains many words starting with the K sound, so many people might stumble over the latter half with “kyūkyoku kōkyū kōkūki” (ultimate luxury aircraft).
The first half, “kūkyona Kyūshū kūkō” (empty Kyushu airport), is still easier to say, but the shift from kōkyū to kōkūki is particularly tricky.
If you try to rush through it, your mouth won’t keep up, so be mindful of your speed and deliberately shape each word with your lips and tongue.
There’s a “no” in the middle of the sentence, so it’s helpful to imagine taking a brief pause there.
Once you can do that, practice saying the whole thing in one breath.