A proper cup of coffee
A line about a perfect cup of coffee, and a test of P and K. The words “proper” and “copper” share the same “-opper” and differ only at the start, PR or K, and “coffee” keeps returning between them.
A proper cup of coffee from a proper copper coffee pot.
More tongue twisters for the same sounds
- Greg quickly typed the code, double-checked the date, printed the ticket and got to the gate ten minutes early.
- The careful clerk quickly checked the credit cards, counted the coins, tagged the goods and kept the cash drawer tidy.
- At the top of the tower, the tour guide told the group to take care, keep together and count the steps on the steep, dark stairway down.
- The cook took a good look at the cookbook.
- Doug's dog dug a deep ditch and decided to doze in the dirt.
- Good design takes time: draft it, test it, cut it, then decide.
Other famous tongue twisters for these sounds
Where to breathe
- A proper cup of coffee
- from a proper copper coffee pot.
Where proper and copper swap
“Proper” starts with PR and has a P in the middle. “Copper” starts with K and has a P in the middle. The middles are the same, the starts are different. At speed the brain grabs the wrong one and you get “copper cup” or “proper popper”.
“Cup” and “coffee” both start with K, “pot” with P. The line alternates the two sounds: P, K, K, P, K, K, P. Since P is at the lips and K at the back of the mouth, every switch is a jump.
The F in “coffee” is the other small trap. It comes right after a K and before a long E. If you rush, it turns into a P, “coppee”, because the lips are already busy with P sounds.
How to learn it
Drill the key pair first: “proper copper, proper copper”. Slowly. Feel the lips close for P and the back of the tongue rise for K.
Then add “coffee pot” at the end: “copper coffee pot”. Make the F in “coffee” a clean hiss between the lip and teeth.
Breathe after the first “coffee”. The first half is the drink, the second is where it came from. When both halves are clean, join them and listen to “copper”: if it starts to sound like “proper”, slow down.
Questions about this tongue twister
- What does a proper cup of coffee mean?
- A real, well-made cup of coffee, as opposed to a weak or instant one. “Proper” here means correct, genuine. The copper pot just adds to the image of an old-fashioned, careful way of making it.
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.