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For centuries, tongue twisters have been tripping up speakers globally. While stumbling over these tricky phrases can be amusing, they were originally designed to help students master clear speech. In his 1878 book Practical Elocution, J.W. Shoemaker emphasized to educators the deeper purpose of these challenging exercises: 'To The Teacher—Though these drills may bring laughter to the classroom, their inclusion serves a greater goal. They provide practice in mastering nearly every form of complex articulation.'
From hawking seashells on the shore to acquiring Betty Botter's unpleasant butter, these tricky phrases date back to a time when speech training was as common as learning math. Join us as we unravel the fascinating histories behind these well-known sayings. Interestingly, the origins of many tongue twisters are as tangled as the phrases themselves.
1. Peter Piper
Peter Piper selected a peck of pickled peppers; A peck of pickled peppers was what Peter Piper chose; If Peter Piper chose a peck of pickled peppers, Where is the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?
Peter and his renowned pickled peppers made their debut in print in 1813 within John Harris's Peter Piper's Practical Principles of Plain and Perfect Pronunciation.
However, like many timeless tongue twisters, the rhyme might have already been widely known by then (the book featured similarly structured phrases for every letter of the alphabet, with Peter undoubtedly taking the spotlight).
Some spice aficionados have proposed that the Peter mentioned was inspired by 18th-century French horticulturist Pierre Poivre, though this theory should be approached with skepticism (or perhaps a dash of pepper).
Similar to Mary Anning and her alleged seashells by the shore (more on this later), Poivre's connection to the poem, while plausible, lacks definitive proof. Poivre translates to “pepper” in French, Piper was Latin for “pepper” and a common British surname, and the man was famous for smuggling cloves from the Spice Islands during his time, making the link seem reasonable. As a celebrated gardener, Poivre might have indeed pickled peppers with those smuggled cloves, though this remains unverified.
2. How much timber could a woodchuck toss?
How much timber could a woodchuck toss, If a woodchuck had the ability to toss timber?
Though it probably existed before her, Vaudeville star Fay Templeton is recognized for popularizing the woodchuck's wood-tossing query. The line, 'How much wood would a woodchuck chuck, if a woodchuck could chuck wood?' was part of a song Templeton performed in the 1903 Broadway musical The Runaways (not to be confused with the musical Runaways).
Robert Hobart Davis and Theodore F. Morse composed Templeton’s 'Woodchuck Song,' and a few years later, “Ragtime” Bob Roberts recorded it in 1904, helping it gain widespread fame. The catchy refrain endured and even influenced the title of Werner Herzog’s 1976 documentary, 'How Much Wood Would a Woodchuck Chuck: Observations on a New Language,' which explored the 13th International World Livestock Auctioneering Championship.
In more recent times, researchers have shifted their focus from the phrase's origin to answering its core question. In 1988, a New York Department of Environmental Conservation fish and wildlife technician gained national attention by estimating that if a woodchuck could toss wood (despite the fact they can’t), it might manage around 700 pounds of it—though this detail was likely omitted from the original rhyme for the sake of rhythm.
3. and 4. Betty Botter and Two Tooters
Betty Botter purchased some butter; “But,” she remarked, “this butter's bitter! If I add it to my batter, It will turn my batter bitter. Yet a bit of superior butter Will only improve my batter.” So she bought a bit of butter Better than the bitter butter, And her bitter batter improved. Thus, it was better Betty Botter Bought a bit of better butter.
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A flute-playing tutor Attempted to teach two young tooters to toot. The two asked the tutor, “Which is tougher: to toot, Or to tutor two tooters to toot?”
Both of these timeless tongue twisters originated from the works of poet and novelist Carolyn Wells in the late 1890s. Betty Botter later became part of Mother Goose’s nursery rhymes, and both verses appear in various forms. While the inspirations for Betty and the tutor remain unclear, Wells was an exceptionally prolific writer. Her 1902 publication A Nonsense Anthology—a collection of playful linguistic exercises—became her most renowned work, but she authored over 100 other books, including mysteries and children’s tales. Beyond her literary contributions, Wells was celebrated for donating her extensive collection of Walt Whitman manuscripts and first editions to the Library of Congress.
5. She Sells Seashells
She sells seashells by the seashore. The shells she sells are surely seashells. And if she sells seashells by the seashore, Then I’m certain she sells seashore shells.
The tale behind 'She Sells Seashells' has garnered significant attention in recent years. It’s believed the rhyme honors 19th-century English paleontologist Mary Anning.
Anning was a remarkable fossil hunter credited with scientific breakthroughs, from unearthing the first complete plesiosaur skeleton to being among the first to recognize fossilized feces—though her male peers often took credit for her discoveries.
Anning is celebrated in scientific communities (Charles Dickens even expressed his admiration for her after her passing in 1847), and the notion that she inspired the tongue twister has allowed the public to honor her legacy. However, as Stephen Winick of the Library of Congress’s American Folklife Center noted, there’s no concrete evidence linking Anning to the rhyme. Many sources attribute the phrase’s origin to the 1908 song by Terry Sullivan and Harry Gifford, but Winick discovered earlier references, such as versions in Shoemaker’s elocution book and a 1898 issue of Werner’s Magazine. The first suggestion of a connection to Anning appears in a 1977 book, Henry De la Beche: Observations on an Observer, though it was presented as speculation without a definitive source.
6. I Scream, You Scream
I scream, you scream, We all scream for ice cream.
This phrase didn’t twist tongues much, but it certainly made them crave something cold.
The origin of this catchy phrase about everyone’s beloved frozen dessert is debated. During the 19th century, numerous jokes and remarks highlighted the similarity between “ice cream” and “I scream.” However, in 1905, a company in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, selling ice cream freezers advertised, “I Scream, You Scream, We all Scream for Ice Cream! This is certainly Ice Cream Weather. Have you a good Ice Cream Freezer?” While this likely wasn’t the first use of the phrase (a similar version appeared in Wisconsin a few months prior), its popularity soared thanks to Howard Johnson, Billy Moll, and Robert King, who incorporated it into a song of the same name in 1927. Waring’s Pennsylvanians recorded the song, and it became a jazz classic in the 1940s. Since then, it has been making mouths water and tormenting ice cream truck drivers.
7. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
Perhaps the most famous single-word tongue twister, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious has a complex history. Many link the lengthy nonsense term to Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke dancing alongside animated characters in the 1964 film adaptation of P.L. Travers's Mary Poppins book series.
However, songwriters Barney Young and Gloria Parker claimed they had used the word first (or a close variant, supercalafajalistickespeealadojus) in their composition, also known as “The Super Song.” When Disney released their version, penned by Robert and Richard Sherman, Young and Parker sued for copyright infringement. The Shermans argued they had heard the whimsical word at camp in the 1930s. Young and Parker countered that Young had coined it as a child in 1921 and had sent their song to Disney in 1951. They sought $12 million in damages.
The judge, overwhelmed by the 14-syllable word during the trial, demanded it be referred to as “the word.” He dismissed the case, stating the term had been widely used in New York since the 1930s, though doubts persisted. Later, an earlier instance from 1931 surfaced, spelled supercaliflawjalisticexpialadoshus, in the Syracuse University student newspaper [PDF]. The column’s author also claimed to have invented it.
8. Pad Kid
Pad kid poured curd pulled cod
Though not as widely known as classic rhymes, this brief phrase was crafted by MIT researchers in 2013 as the most challenging tongue twister. It’s surprisingly more difficult than familiar lines like the “I Scream” chant or even the woodchuck’s wood-tossing query.
During the 166th meeting of the Acoustical Society of America, which aimed to explore the psychology behind speech patterns, volunteers were recorded attempting various twisters—and Pad Kid proved the most troublesome. Its alliteration and similar-sounding words make it exceptionally hard to say quickly without errors.
Previously, “The sixth sick sheikh's sixth sheep's sick” was often hailed as the hardest twister (it even held a Guinness World Record for a time). However, with the official category now discontinued, the MIT creation might just claim the title of the ultimate tongue twister.
