S, SH and Z Tongue Twisters
These tongue twisters train the three hissing sounds of English: /s/, /ʃ/ (sh) and /z/. Mixing them up turns "she sells" into "see sells", so drilling the contrast builds instant clarity.
Practice Tips
- For /s/ the tongue tip stays close to the ridge behind your top teeth; for /ʃ/ it pulls back and the lips round slightly.
- /z/ is simply /s/ with voice: put a hand on your throat and feel the vibration.
- Master "she sells" on its own before attempting the full phrase.
Showing 6 tongue twisters
Beginner
Focus: sh and s sounds
“She sells seashells by the seashore”
Practice this tongue twister to improve sh and s sounds.
Expert
Focus: th, s, and sh sounds
“The sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep's sick”
Practice this tongue twister to improve th, s, and sh sounds.
Beginner
Focus: z and w sounds
“Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear, Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair”
Practice this tongue twister to improve z and w sounds.
Intermediate
Focus: s and z sounds with consonant clusters
“Scissors sizzle, thistles bristle”
Practice this tongue twister to improve s and z sounds with consonant clusters.
Advanced
Focus: f, r, and sh sounds
“Fresh fried fish, fish fresh fried, fried fish fresh, fish fried fresh”
Practice this tongue twister to improve f, r, and sh sounds.
Beginner
Focus: s and sh sounds
“Sally sells seashells by the seashore”
Practice this tongue twister to improve s and sh sounds.
More Tongue Twisters by Sound
P, B, T and D Tongue Twisters8 tongue twistersConsonant Cluster Tongue Twisters9 tongue twistersVowel Sound Tongue Twisters6 tongue twistersR and L Tongue Twisters6 tongue twistersM, N and NG Tongue Twisters4 tongue twistersTH, F, V and W Tongue Twisters8 tongue twistersDiphthong Tongue Twisters6 tongue twisters