The Hardest Tongue Twister

This week, my dad and brother are visiting for a couple days. As often happens with family, we’ve been reverting to our childhood selves and making dumb jokes, busting out old nicknames (my brother is Tiny, and I’m Fofie) and giving each other riddles.

This morning’s conversation topic? The hardest tongue twister in the world: “Toy boat, toy boat, toy boat.”

Seriously, try it, it’s impossible. Alex can almost do it but then starts to sound Canadian.

Here’s a longer list of tongue twisters, if you’re in a nerdy mood like we are.

P.S. More random posts: How a key works and how to introduce someone.

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Jonathan

April 18, 2019 7:08am 7:08 am

I think it’s perfectly fine to use a glottal stop in between the t’s. This is fairly natural for a lot of natives. :)

Regula

March 31, 2015 4:29pm 4:29 pm

Here comes a tongue twister in Swiss German (for Alex to practice for his next business trip!):

Dä Papscht hät s Bschteck zschpoot bschtellt.

Means: The pope ordered the cutlery too late.
Have fun! Liebe Grüsse aus Zürich.

magdabird.com

March 31, 2015 4:20pm 4:20 pm

In Polish we have many difficult ones, this one being one of them: W Szczebrzeszynie chrząszcz brzmi w trzcinie i Szczebrzeszyn z tego słynie.

thatfoodblog

March 31, 2015 4:14pm 4:14 pm

Tongue twisters always remind me of Anchorman! “How now brown cow” and “The Human Torch is denied a bank loan” :-)

lydia

March 31, 2015 3:59pm 3:59 pm

nauseous sausage

Joy

March 31, 2015 3:55pm 3:55 pm

if you say “joy boat” first a bunch of times, then switch to “toy boat”, it’s a lot easier!!! :)

Rebeka

March 31, 2015 3:52pm 3:52 pm

Girl gargoyle, guy gargoyle 3X fast.

teeny84

March 31, 2015 3:52pm 3:52 pm

I can do it! But then again…I’m Canadian. Maybe that gives you an edge.

katiecandido

March 31, 2015 3:49pm 3:49 pm

Haha! I said it easily and thought, what’s so hard about that? But then once you try saying it more than 3 times you realize it truly is impossible!

sage m

March 31, 2015 3:47pm 3:47 pm

that is nuts! i am sitting here laughing like a crazy person….by myself….see, crazy person ;) toyboyt.

Jill

March 31, 2015 3:46pm 3:46 pm

Awesome post and first comment.

Joanna Goddard

March 31, 2015 3:46pm 3:46 pm

Hahaha I love that.

Hannah S

March 31, 2015 3:33pm 3:33 pm

irish wristwatches!

i went through a phrase where i practiced saying this so it would be my signature party trick.

http://yo-hannah.blogspot.com/

Kelly Campagnola

March 31, 2015 9:10pm 9:10 pm

Ruthless Canadian chirp!!!

Amanda J

March 31, 2015 9:10pm 9:10 pm

chipmunk puppet

my dad worked at a store that sold chipmunk puppets when he was in college and he quickly realized how difficult it can be to say just once, let alone three times in a row. : )

BookWorm

March 31, 2015 8:09pm 8:09 pm

Also Canadian, also can do it. It’s a Canadian thing!

Rachel

March 31, 2015 7:22pm 7:22 pm

“Shaws sells fresh sushi” is a favorite in my family. I discovered it while grocery shopping in high school. 10 years later and I still can’t say it three times fast.

Zookie

March 31, 2015 7:20pm 7:20 pm

I second irish wristwatch! toughest tongue-twister for me!

Kerstin

March 31, 2015 7:09pm 7:09 pm

No problem. But I’m also from Canada.

Km12

March 31, 2015 6:14pm 6:14 pm

I can do it! But maybe it is because I am Canadian! It’s all in the accent….

Isabel

March 31, 2015 5:35pm 5:35 pm

I can do it if I say it in a British accent! (I’m American). Guess I was meant to be British after all… ;)

Isabel

Prestigious School

March 31, 2015 5:32pm 5:32 pm

Now I can’t get toy boat, toy boat, toy boat out of my head. Actually, I can’t get it out of my mouth either.

nicole

March 31, 2015 5:20pm 5:20 pm

Enjoy your family’s visit! I’ll be in NYC this weekend for the first time since I was 16! Gulp. I’m a little intimidated but super excited! I’m going to my friend Ansel Elkins’s book party; her debut book of poems, Blue Yodel, was just released. I arrive tomorrow; the book party is Thursday, and I’m staying through the weekend. It’s a bit… ambitious… but I may try The Class while I’m in town; have you or Caroline tried it? I’m intrigued. Yes, this is a first: working out on “vacation.” :)

sumslay

March 31, 2015 5:18pm 5:18 pm

I can say it! I think….:…now I’m overthinking it and am wondering if i’m doing it wrong somehow.

Any tongue twister (okay, or word pairing in general) with “r” in it…I’m out!

Also, seeing the tongue twisters in different languages just gave me a whole new level of respect. @_@

Anne

March 31, 2015 4:51pm 4:51 pm

Red leather yellow leather is my downfall too!

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