[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
- Nagoya dialect tongue twisters are exquisite! A fun collection where your tongue gets tied in knots with regional dialects
- “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 (21–30)
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.
red bell pepper, green bell pepper, yellow bell pepperNEW!
At first glance, this tongue twister looks easy if you’re just reading the words.
But the final “yellow paprika” is a surprisingly tough opponent.
Up to that point, every word starts with “a,” then it suddenly switches to “ki,” and you’re almost guaranteed to bite your tongue.
Still, if you can get past that spot, you should be able to link it all together smoothly.
The key to success is to focus on the “ki” and pronounce it clearly! By the way, all three colors of paprika actually exist.
The blue paprika refers to the green variety, and despite its appearance, it’s said to be less bitter and quite tasty.
Red Myakumyaku, Blue Myakumyaku, Yellow MyakumyakuNEW!
A tongue-twister so fiendishly hard it’ll tie your tongue in knots, bursting with playful rhythms of color and sound.
Because the repeated “Myaku-Myaku” appears over and over, saying it aloud naturally tangles your mouth and sparks laughter.
The key is that both kids and adults can enjoy it like a game.
Images of red, blue, and yellow pop into your head, letting you imagine a little story just by reading, which makes speaking it out loud even more fun.
Each repetition shifts the rhythm and timing, so every attempt brings new laughs and fresh discoveries.
Try it once and you’ll be hooked—this is a notoriously tricky tongue-twister.
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!
