Cows graze in groves
A country picture with a hidden trap: six words starting with GR, and two of them, “groves” and “grooves”, separated only by their vowel. Add a Z sound at the end of most words, and the line tests both the cluster and the vowels.
Cows graze in groves on grass which grows in grooves in groves.
More tongue twisters for the same sounds
- 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.
- Tina tried to get the tiny kite to take off, but it kept dropping.
Other famous tongue twisters for these sounds
Where to breathe
- Cows graze in groves
- on grass which grows
- in grooves in groves.
GR six times, groves against grooves
The GR cluster comes six times: graze, groves, grass, grows, grooves and “groves” once more at the end. G is a voiced stop at the back of the mouth; R follows immediately. When the R weakens, you get “gaze”, “gass” and “goes”.
“Groves” has a long O, as in “go”. “Grooves” has a long OO, as in “food”. They are close, and the faster you go, the more they merge. Many people say “grooves” twice or “groves” three times without noticing.
Most words end in a Z sound: cows, graze, groves, grows, grooves. Only “grass” ends with a real S. If the Z turns into S, the words lose their buzz.
How to learn it
Practice the vowel pair: “groves, grooves, groves, grooves”. Round the lips more and push them further forward on “grooves”.
Then practice the GR words in a row: “graze, grass, grows”. Each one needs the R. Feel the tongue pull back after the G.
Breathe after “groves” and after “grows” at first. Then say the whole line on one breath, three times. If the vowels start to merge, slow down and stretch them for a round.
Questions about this tongue twister
- What is the difference between groves and grooves?
- A grove is a small group of trees, like an orchard. A groove is a long narrow cut in a surface. So the grass grows in the narrow dips of the ground inside the groves.
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.