Tongue twisters for P, B, F and V
Tongue twisters for the P, B, F and V sounds, as in “pen”, “bed”, “fan” and “van”, for diction. Lip sounds come out clearly only when the lips work actively. Say them with exaggerated precision, as if someone had to understand you by reading your lips.
Short tongue twisters for P, B, F and V
- Rubber baby buggy bumpers.
- Black background, brown background.
- Plain bun, plum bun, bun without plum.
- Bake big batches of bitter brown bread.
- Vincent vowed vengeance very vehemently.
- A brief break brings back a better plan.
- Few fine vines survive a very fierce frost.
- Peggy Babcock, Peggy Babcock, Peggy Babcock.
- Five frantic frogs fled from fifty fierce fishes.
- Five vivid pictures of vast fields fill the front page.
Medium tongue twisters for P, B, F and V
- Proud Paul paid for both bags, but Bob put both bags back.
- A pelican flapped past the boat, then flew back to the foggy bay.
- Olivia prefers plain vanilla, but Felix favors fresh blueberry pie.
- Bob's brave brother brought a bright blue balloon to the big parade.
- Phoebe brings five fresh violets to her favorite aunt every February.
- Fresh fried fish, fish fresh fried, fried fish fresh, fish fried fresh.
- A big black bug bit a big black bear, made the big black bear bleed blood.
- Philip's favorite fabric was velvet, but his father preferred fine flannel.
Hard tongue twisters for P, B, F and V
- 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.
- 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.
- Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked. If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, where's the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?
How to practice tongue twisters
- Slowly, syllable by syllable, with exaggerated precision: every ending, every consonant.
- Normal pace. Say it two or three times, perfectly clean. If a sound blurs, go back one step.
- Louder, as if someone is listening from across the room. Same pace, same clarity.
- Faster, but only up to the speed where it stays clean. Three times in a row without a stumble.
- Delivery: full voice, with emotion, as if on stage. Then take the next tongue twister.
Speed is a by-product of clarity. Move up a step only when you sound perfect on the current one.
More tongue twisters
More in the article: How to stop mumbling when you talk: a daily practice plan
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.