Tongue Twisters in Spanish

Quick Answer

Tongue twisters (los trabalenguas) are a fun way to practice Spanish pronunciation. Let's take a look at some of the most popular Spanish tongue twisters!

Tongue twisters are often nonsensical even in the original language, so don't be surprised if the English translations of the Spanish tongue twisters you see here don't make much sense.

To Practice M

examples
Mi mamá me mima mucho. My mom spoils me a lot.

To Practice B

examples
El bebé bebe bebidas con burbujas. The baby drinks drinks with bubbles.

To Practice P (and C)

examples
Pepe Pecas pica papas con un pico, con un pico pica papas Pepe Pecas. Joe Freckles chops potatoes with a pick, with a pick Joe Freckles chops potatoes.

To Practice C

Valeria:

Comadre, cómprame un coco.

Girl, buy me a coconut.

Juanita:

Comadre, coco no compro porque el que poco coco come, poco coco compra. Como poco coco como, poco coco compro.

Girl, I don't buy coconuts because a person who eats few coconuts buys few coconuts. Since I eat few coconuts, I buy few coconuts.

To Practice Y (and Ll)

examples
Hoy ya es ayer y ayer ya es hoy. Ya llegó el día, y hoy es hoy. Today is already yesterday and yesterday is already today. The day has arrived, and today is today.

To Practice Ñ

examples
Ñoño Yáñez come ñame en las mañanas con el niño. Silly Yañez eats yams in the morning with the boy.

To Practice S

examples
La sardinera sacó para asar sesenta sardinas secas secadas solas a sol. The sardine seller took out sixty sun-dried sardines to roast them.

To Practice Rr

examples
Erre con erre guitarra, erre con erre barril. Rápido corren los carros, cargados de azúcar del ferrocarril. R and r guitar, r and r barrel. The carts roll along quickly, laden with sugar from the train.

To Practice Dicho

examples
Me han dicho un dicho que han dicho que he dicho yo. Ese dicho está mal dicho; si lo hubiera dicho yo, estaría mejor dicho que el dicho que han dicho que he dicho yo. I've heard a saying which they say I said. That saying is misquoted; if I had said it, it would be better said than the saying which they say I said.

To Practice Tr

examples
Tres tristes tigres tragaban trigo en un trigal. Un tigre, dos tigres, tres tigres tragaban en un trigal. ¿Cuál tigre tragaba más? Todos tragaban igual. Three sad tigers were eating wheat in a field. One tiger, two tigers, three tigers were eating in a wheat field. Which tiger ate more? They all ate the same amount.

To Practice V

examples
El vino vino, pero el vino no vino vino; el vino vino vinagre. The wine arrived, but the wine didn't arrive as wine; the wine arrived as vinegar.

To Practice V and B

examples
Juan tuvo un tubo, y el tubo que tuvo se le rompió, y para recuperar el tubo que tuvo, tuvo que comprar un tubo igual al tubo que tuvo. Juan had a tube, and the tube he had broke, and to get back the tube that he had, he had to buy a tube just like the tube that he had.

To Practice P and Ch

examples
Pancha plancha con cuatro planchas. ¿Con cuántas planchas Pancha plancha? Pancha irons with four irons. With how many irons does Pancha iron?

To Practice Cua and Cue

examples
Cuando cuentes cuentos, cuenta cuantos cuentos cuentas cuando cuentes cuentos. When you tell stories, say how many stories you tell when you tell stories.

Super Challenge!

examples
El volcán de Parangaricutirimícuaro se quiere desparangaricutiriguarízar, y él que lo desparangaricutiricuarízare será un buen desparangaricutirimízador. The volcano of Parangaricutirimicuaro wants to "deparangaricutiriguarize" and whoever "deparangaricutiriguarizes" it will be a good "deparangaricutiriguarizer."

As you can see, this last tongue twister really doesn't make sense! Parangaricutirimícuarois one name given to the town of Nuevo San Juan Parangaricutiroin the Mexican state of Michoacán. The long verbs in this tongue twister are just made-up riffs off the super-long name of this picturesque town! The accents on the rí/ mí in desparangaricutiriguarízar, desparangaricutiricuarízare, and desparangaricutimízador are meant to echo the mí in Parangaricutirimícuaro, though you can also write (and say!) this tongue twister with more traditional Spanish spelling and pronunciation.