A tongue twister is a fun word game that challenges our ability to pronounce words correctly. As a result of the alliteration in their phrasing, people can practice one sound at a time to improve fluency. Actors, singers, and public speakers use tongue twisters to improve their enunciation and articulation so that they can be understood in front of a crowd.
You can use tongue twisters to help you pronounce certain sounds as an English learner. You can practice your “w” sounds with this woodchuck tongue twister. Make the “w” sound by rounding your lips and making a small gap between your teeth.
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Woodchuck
“How much wood does a woodchuck chuck?”
Could a woodchuck chuck wood?
As much as he could, he would chuck
As much wood as a woodchuck would chuck
Woodchucks could chuck wood if they could.”
Improving Your Pronunciation
In this tongue twister, the “w” sound is voiced and sometimes confused with the “v,” which is also voiced. A “w” sound is produced with rounded lips, whereas a “v” sound is produced by resting your teeth on your lower lip.
Practice the differences between these sounds with minimal pairs, or words with only a difference between a “w” and a “v”.
why—vie
went—vent
The Origin of “Woodchuck”
The “Woodchuck” tongue twister is based on the refrain of the “Woodchuck Song” by Robert Hobart Davis and Theodore F. Morse. Musical “The Runaways,” which ran 167 performances at New York City’s Casino Theater between May and October in 1903, introduced the song.
The public was sold sheet music featuring actress/singer/comedian Fay Templeton and Edison wax cylinders performed by Ragtime Bob Roberts.
An Answer to the Question?
Unanswered questions don’t always sit well with people. New York state wildlife conservation officer Richard Thomas attempted to figure out just how much wood a woodchuck could chuck in 1988, assuming it was capable of doing so. Although woodchucks do not actually chuck (throw) wood, they do know how to toss dirt around, since they are burrowing rodents.
In his calculations, he found that a woodchuck burrow has three rooms and a tunnel leading to them that is about six inches wide and about 25 to 30 feet long. To build such a burrow, 35 square feet of soil had to be excavated. If a woodchuck weighs 20 pounds per cubic foot of soil, it can chuck 700 pounds of dirt a day. Using this calculation, Mr. Thomas was able to answer an 85-year-old question. Thomas concluded that a woodchuck could also chuck about 700 pounds of wood if he so desired.
More Tongue Twisters
Among other tongue twisters in American English are Peter Piper, She Sells Seashells by the Seashore, Betty Botter, and A Flea and a Fly.