She sells seashells by the seashore
Probably the best-known S and SH tongue twister in English. Most people remember the first sentence; the full version has three, and each one mixes the two sounds in a new order. It is a standard exercise in speech lessons for good reason: there is no place to hide a lazy S.
She sells seashells by the seashore. The shells she sells are surely seashells. So if she sells shells on the seashore, I'm sure she sells seashore shells.
Other versions
- She sells seashells by the seashore.
More tongue twisters for the same sounds
- The zoo's zebras doze in the sun, the seals splash in the shallow pool and the visitors' shoes squeak on the shiny stones.
- 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.
Other famous tongue twisters for these sounds
- She sees cheese
- 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
Where to breathe
- She sells seashells by the seashore.
- The shells she sells are surely seashells.
- So if she sells shells on the seashore,
- I'm sure she sells seashore shells.
Where S turns into SH
The whole text alternates S and SH. “She” has SH, “sells” has S, “seashells” has S then SH, “seashore” has S then SH. Each compound word puts the two sounds side by side, and that junction, “sea-shells”, “sea-shore”, is where most slips happen: “sheashells”, “seasells”, “shee sells”.
Two words are traps in disguise. “Surely” and “sure” are spelled with S but said with SH. Once you have made that switch twice, the S at the start of “sells” and “seashore” is the next one to slide into SH.
The last sentence is the hardest. It reverses the order: “seashore shells” in place of “seashells on the seashore”. The mouth has learned one pattern and now has to break it.
How to learn it
Practice the two compound words alone: “sea · shells”, “sea · shore”. Smile slightly on the S of “sea” and round the lips forward on the SH. Then shorten the gap until the words sound natural.
Learn the text one sentence at a time and breathe at each period. Notice the logic of the last sentence: if she sells shells on the seashore, then they must be seashore shells. Thinking of the meaning keeps the order straight.
When you can say it slowly without a slip, try it in a whisper. S and SH are both made without voice, so in a whisper any mix-up is easy to hear. After that, speed up one sentence at a time.
Where the tongue twister comes from
The phrase was used in speech lessons in the 19th century. In 1908 the songwriters Terry Sullivan and Harry Gifford turned it into a popular song, “She Sells Sea-Shells”. A story often links the girl in the rhyme to the fossil collector Mary Anning, but there is no evidence for that.
Questions about this tongue twister
- What is the full She sells seashells tongue twister?
- The full version used here has three sentences: “She sells seashells by the seashore. The shells she sells are surely seashells. So if she sells shells on the seashore, I'm sure she sells seashore shells.” The short version is just the first sentence.
- Is the tongue twister about Mary Anning?
- It is a popular story, but there is no evidence that she inspired the tongue twister or the 1908 song. What is known is that the phrase was already used in speech lessons before the song was written.
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.