Your tongue is an important part of your oral health. It’s useful for tasting, swallowing, chewing, cleaning your teeth, and speaking. Almost half of the bacteria in your mouth and 90 percent of your taste buds live on the surface of your tongue. Although your tongue is the most flexible muscle in your body, sometimes it doesn’t shift fast enough, leaving you tongue-tied.
A tongue twister is a phrase or sequence of words that uses alliteration and rhyme. It is often difficult to pronounce quickly without blundering. Certain sound sequences require your tongue to change positions very quickly, and when trying to repeat the phrase your tongue begins to slow down. Some tongue twisters are used for games to produce amusing results and confusion. They can be used as a competition to see how many times you can repeat the phrase quickly without stumbling.
Tongue twisters are also used for articulation and learning purposes. Public speakers and actors may repeat an alliterated phrase several times to get their tongue flowing so they don’t flub their lines. People with speech difficulties may also use tongue twisters to practice their pronunciation and certain sounds.
