Brave Brian brought big blue blueberries.
Every word starts with B. Some are followed by an R and some by an L, and a small slip changes the word.
👅 Sounds to Practise
- B /b/, as in big and at the start of every word. Press your lips together, then pop them open, and let your throat buzz.
- BR /br/, as in brave, Brian and brought. After the B, pull your tongue back and do not touch the roof of your mouth.
- BL /bl/, as in blue and blueberries. After the B, lift your tongue tip to the ridge behind your top teeth.
Quick test: say brew, then blue. Feel where the tongue goes.
🐢 Start Slow
Say each chunk slowly.
Brave Brian
brought big
blue blueberries.
🚶 Normal Speed
Say it at a natural pace, with the stressed syllables in capitals:
BRAVE BRIan BROUGHT BIG BLUE BLUEber-ries.
🚀 Tongue-Twister Mode
Say it three times in a row, as fast as you can:
Brave Brian brought big blue blueberries.
If it falls apart, that is normal. Slow down and try again. Keep the tongue back for R, and touch the ridge for L.
🤯 Why Is This So Difficult?
The lips pop again and again, and the tongue has to choose between R and L right after.
brave / Brian / brought / big / blue / blueberries
- R and L are close, so the tongue can slip from one to the other.
- Brought big blue goes from BR to B to BL in only three words.
- Blue blueberries has BL twice in a row.
👀 Words to Notice
These pairs change when R becomes L:
- brew / blue
- brush / blush
- brink / blink
Say each pair slowly. Keep the tongue back for R, and touch the ridge for L.
🏆 OddLingo Challenge
- Round 1: say it slowly, one chunk at a time, with no mistakes.
- Round 2: say the whole twister once at normal speed.
- Round 3: say it three times fast without stopping.
Bonus round: if you survived all three, try this one:
Brown bears blow big blue bubbles.
🔗 Related Practice
- Big Blue Bubbles: more B and BL practice.
- Rory's Little Rabbit: R against L in a short twister.