Russian tongue twisters (скороговорки) are brutal. But they work. Here’s how to use them to sharpen your pronunciation.
Why Tongue Twisters?
They force you to articulate sounds you’d normally slur. Russian has tricky consonants (ж, ш, щ) and vowel reductions. Twisters drill these.
Pro tip: Start slow. Speed comes later. Mispronouncing reinforces bad habits.
Beginner Twisters
- Шла Саша по шоссе (Shla Sasha po shosse) – “Sasha walked on the highway.” Focuses on ш (sh) sounds.
- Карл у Клары украл кораллы (Karl u Klary ukral korally) – “Karl stole corals from Clara.” Practises rolling р (r).
Intermediate Challenges
- На дворе трава, на траве дрова (Na dvore trava, na trave drova) – “Grass in the yard, firewood on the grass.” Tests vowel reductions.
- Четыре чёрненьких чумазеньких чертёнка (Chetyre chyornen’kikh chumazen’kikh chertyonka) – “Four little black grimy devils.” A ч (ch) nightmare.
Advanced Nightmares
These separate learners from natives:
Сшит колпак не по-колпаковски
/ʂːɨt kolˈpak nʲɪ po kolpaˈkofskʲɪ/“The cap is sewn not like a cap should be”
A brutal mix of ш, к, and л sounds. Even Russians stumble.
Record yourself. Compare to natives. Repeat until your mouth hurts.
More Resources
For other Slavic challenges, see Mastering Czech Pronunciation or Bulgarian’s Unique Features.
