She sees cheese
One of the shortest English tongue twisters that really works. Three one-syllable words, each starting with a different hissing sound: SH, S and CH. Say it once and it is easy; say it five times fast and the three sounds melt into one.
She sees cheese.
More tongue twisters for the same sounds
- Sam's shop sells sheets, shirts, socks and shoes.
- Rose's cousins use these reasons as easy excuses.
- The tailor sews zippers, sizes sleeves and shortens shirts.
- His dozen dazzling designs pleased the busy business owners.
- Ships sail, sails shift and the tall masts sway in the breeze.
- Sixty-six sizzling sausages sat side by side in a shiny steel pan.
Other famous tongue twisters for these sounds
- Selfish shellfish
- Sheep should sleep in a shed
- Sure the ship's shipshape, sir
- Irish wristwatch, Swiss wristwatch
- Six slippery snails
- Which wristwatches are Swiss wristwatches
- If a dog chews shoes
- Should such a shapely sash
- A noisy noise annoys an oyster
- Swan swam over the sea
- Susie works in a shoeshine shop
- She sells seashells by the seashore
Where to breathe
- She sees cheese.
Three sounds that want to be one
All three words share the same long E vowel, so the only thing that tells them apart is the first sound. SH in “she” is made with the tongue pulled back a little and the lips pushed forward. S in “sees” has the tongue closer to the ridge behind the teeth and the lips relaxed or slightly spread. CH in “cheese” starts with a quick T-like stop and then releases into SH.
When you repeat the line, the lips stop changing shape. That is the main reason it falls apart: you hear “she shees cheese”, “see sees cheese” or “she sees sheesh”.
The endings matter too. “Sees” and “cheese” both end with a Z sound, not an S. If you make them hiss, the words lose their buzz and the line starts to sound like “she seece cheece”.
How to practice it
Stand in front of a mirror and say the three words very slowly. On “she”, your lips should push forward. On “sees”, they should pull back into a slight smile. On “cheese”, they come forward again, and you should feel the tongue tap the ridge before the sound.
Then add the Z endings. Put two fingers on your throat and say “sees” and “cheese”. The buzz should continue to the very end of each word.
Now repeat the whole line, starting slowly and adding speed only while the lips keep moving. Five clean repetitions on one breath is a good target. A useful trick is to whisper it once: in a whisper you lose the Z buzz, but the three different hisses become very easy to hear.
Questions about this tongue twister
- Why is she sees cheese so hard to say quickly?
- Because three similar sounds sit in three short words with the same vowel. The lips and tongue barely have time to move. The faster you go, the more your mouth settles on one position and uses it for all three.
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.