Betty Botter bought some butter
A classic tongue twister about a baker with a problem. Its trick is a ladder of near-identical words, “butter”, “bitter”, “batter”, “better”, where only the vowel changes. It trains B, T and, most of all, clear vowels.
Betty Botter bought some butter, but, she said, the butter's bitter. If I put it in my batter, it will make my batter bitter. But a bit of better butter will make my batter better.
More tongue twisters for the same sounds
- 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.
- A brief break brings back a better plan.
Other famous tongue twisters for these sounds
Where to breathe
- Betty Botter bought some butter,
- but, she said, the butter's bitter.
- If I put it in my batter,
- it will make my batter bitter.
- But a bit of better butter
- will make my batter better.
The vowel ladder
Look at the key words: “butter” with the short U of “cup”, “bitter” with the short I of “sit”, “batter” with the short A of “cat”, “better” with the short E of “bed”, “Botter” with the open O of “hot”. Five vowels between the same two consonants. Under speed, they drift together and the story stops making sense.
The T in these words is the second point. In American English, a T between two vowels is usually tapped: the tongue flicks the ridge quickly and the sound comes out close to a soft D. That is normal and correct. But it must still be a tap: if it vanishes, you get “bu'er” or “be'er”.
B is the third. Each key word starts with it, and it has to stay firm all the way through six lines.
How to learn it
Start with the ladder alone: “butter, bitter, batter, better”. Say it slowly and watch your mouth in a mirror: it should open widest on “batter” and narrowest on “bitter”.
Then learn the story line by line, as above, and breathe at each comma. The plot helps: she bought butter, it was bitter, it would spoil her batter, better butter would fix it.
When you know it by heart, say it at a steady speed and listen to the vowels only. If two of the ladder words sound the same, slow down. Speed comes last.
Who wrote it
The tongue twister is by the American writer Carolyn Wells. It appeared in her collection “The Jingle Book”, published in 1899, under the title “The Butter Betty Bought”, and there the heroine was called Betty Botta. The rhyme was later reprinted in Mother Goose collections, often without her name, and the wording changed as it was passed around.
Questions about this tongue twister
- Who wrote Betty Botter?
- Carolyn Wells, an American author of humor and children's verse. The rhyme was printed in her book “The Jingle Book” in 1899. In the original the name is spelled Betty Botta.
- Is there a longer version?
- Yes. Wells's original runs longer and tells how Betty bought better butter and fixed her batter. The version on this page is the short one most people know today.
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.