A big black bug bit a big black bear
A short story told with B and BL sounds: a bug bites a bear, the bear bleeds. Almost every word starts with B, and the words “big black” repeat three times, which makes it easy to lose your place.
A big black bug bit a big black bear, made the big black bear bleed blood.
More tongue twisters for the same sounds
- Philip's favorite fabric was velvet, but his father preferred fine flannel.
- Fiona found five faded photos in a brown paper box and, before breakfast, framed every photo for her father.
- Before the flight, Ben's father packed a flask of black coffee, a bag of buns, a few apples and a soft brown blanket.
- Brave Bella built a bigger boat, painted it bright purple and paddled past the fishing village before the first breeze of evening.
- The famous pianist practiced every phrase of the final piece, polished the fast passages and played the whole program in a packed hall.
- Every Friday, Ava buys fresh peas, fava beans and purple peppers at the market, then bakes a big vegetable pie before the family arrives.
Other famous tongue twisters for these sounds
Where to breathe
- A big black bug bit a big black bear,
- made the big black bear bleed blood.
Where it trips you
The pair “big black” is a junction of G and BL. The G at the end of “big” is made at the back of the mouth, the B of “black” at the lips, and then the tongue goes up for L. Under speed you hear “bib black” or “big back”.
“Black bug” is the next trap: BL, short A, K, then B, short U, G. The K and the G are cousins, and the vowels differ only slightly. Many people say “black bag” or “blug”.
The ending, “bleed blood”, has two BL clusters and two different vowels: long E in “bleed”, short U in “blood”. The spelling of “blood” is misleading, since it is said like “blud”, and some speakers say “blued”.
How to learn it
Practice “big black” on its own. Let the G finish before the B starts. Then “black bug” and “black bear”: the K at the end of “black” must be clear, and the vowels in “bug” and “bear” different.
Then the ending: “bleed blood, bleed blood”. Make the L real in both words and keep the vowels apart.
Breathe at the comma. The first half tells what happened, the second what followed. When both halves are clean, join them and speed up only while “bug” and “bear” still have different vowels.
Questions about this tongue twister
- Why is blood pronounced blud?
- English spelling does not always follow the sound. “Blood” and “flood” have the short U of “cup”, unlike “food” or “mood”. In this tongue twister the contrast with “bleed” makes the vowel extra easy to get wrong, so say it slowly a few times first.
Keep practicing
Practice with a timer
In DramaLab, the speed ladder is an exercise: it gives you tongue twisters one by one, walks you up the five steps and keeps time. No sign-up needed.