Take on the world’s hardest tongue twisters! A roundup of ultra-tough prompts that’ll tie your tongue
Have you ever tried the “world’s hardest tongue twister”? Even well-known ones like “Tōkyō Tokkyo Kyoka-kyoku” and “Kaeru pyoko-pyoko” are tough enough, but there’s always something harder.
From fiendish Japanese challenges that cleverly use palatalized and geminate sounds to English tongue twisters recognized by Guinness, there are plenty of ultra-difficult lines guaranteed to tie your tongue.
In this article, we introduce the world’s hardest tongue twisters that you’ll want to try again and again.
Give them a go with your family and friends!
- Challenging tongue twisters: Introducing high-difficulty phrases and sentences!
- Perfect for pronunciation practice! A collection of English tongue twisters.
- Get hyped! Tongue twisters that sound cool if you can say them—wordplay that makes you want to take on the challenge
- [Diction Training] A Collection of Tongue Twisters to Improve Articulation
- [Recreation] Challenge! A roundup of tongue twisters recommended for elementary school students
- A collection of long tongue twisters. Also recommended for practicing announcements and narration.
- Tongue Twisters So Fun and Cute You’ll Want to Say Them Out Loud!
- Tongue twisters that will make you laugh out loud! Super funny
- Kenta Otani’s original tongue twisters: a collection that’ll have you tripping over words and bursting into laughter
- Chinese tongue twisters: A collection of rao kou ling helpful for learning Chinese
- Irresistibly tempting to try! Have fun practicing pronunciation with Korean 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
Challenge the world's hardest tongue twisters! A roundup of insanely tough prompts that’ll tie your tongue (11–20)
Symphony, songs, concerto
Here’s a slightly tricky but fun tongue twister using music-related words! A symphony is a large piece of music played by many instruments, a song focuses on singing, and a concerto is a piece where a solo instrument performs together with an orchestra.
There are only three words.
But because similar sounds follow one another, you can say it slowly, yet if you speed up… your tongue will get all tangled.
How about kids and adults alike giving it a try while learning a bit of music trivia? Enjoy this music-and-words game with lots of laughter!
On the large plate, a big mugwort rice cake; on the small plate, a small mugwort rice cake.
It’s a tongue twister with a peaceful feel: a big mugwort rice cake sits on a big plate, and a small mugwort rice cake sits on a small plate.
The humor you sense from the words may change depending on how large you imagine them to be.
What’s important here is the “m” sounds in yomogi mochi; you’re tested on how smoothly you can close your lips and then pronounce them.
When it becomes koyomogi mochi, the “k” sounds are added, making the switch in mouth shape even more important.
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.
Red seared short ribs, Blue seared short ribs, Yellow seared short ribs
This adds the classic tongue-twister pattern of putting a color in front to “aburi karubi,” a phrase that’s already hard to say on its own, making it even more difficult.
Imagining red, blue, and yellow aburi karubi lined up somehow doesn’t seem appetizing, which adds to the humor.
The tricky part of aburi karubi is the sequence of the Japanese r-sounds and voiced consonants, so be mindful of your mouth shape as you practice.
With the addition of colors, vowels like “a” and “o,” as well as the K-row sounds, also come into play, making it even more important to pay attention to mouth positioning.
export car export hot water export vinegar
It’s a tongue twister that depicts various things being exported, and the fact that, aside from export cars, the other terms aren’t very familiar is part of what makes it amusing.
You might even find yourself wondering whether hot water or vinegar would ever actually be exported.
What matters first is pronouncing “yushutsu” (export) accurately—especially getting “shutsu” right—so you don’t get thrown off by what comes before and after it.
Start by pronouncing each word separately, then gradually increase your speed; that’s the recommended approach.