tongue twister

[tuhng twis-ter]

noun

1. a word or sequence of words difficult to pronounce, especially rapidly, because of alliteration or a slight variation of consonant sounds, as “She sells seashells by the seashore.”

tongue twister

noun

1. a sentence or phrase that is difficult to articulate clearly and quickly, such as Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled pepper

Word History and Origins

Origin of tongue twister¹

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

“The curly tips of unfurled fern fronds. It makes an excellent tongue twister, doesn’t it? Unfurled fern fronds! Unfurled fern fronds!”

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“It sounds like a tongue twister. Introduce yourselves as one of the families, and get that name recognition.”

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It's like a tongue twister, almost, because you're working two sides of your body at once.

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They limber up their lips with a tongue twister.

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"The tongue twisters, words with muted letters, words that we have to curl our lips to pronounce: these things are very difficult for us", Loc says.

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When To Use

What else does tongue twister mean?

Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear—try saying that three times fast. This and other tongue twisters are words or phrases that are difficult to pronounce, often deliberately so and due to lots of similar sounds.How do you pronounce tongue twister?[tuhng twis-ter]