A skunk sat on a stump and thunk the stump stunk, but the stump thunk the skunk stunk.
This twister is a silly argument. The skunk thinks the stump smells bad, and the stump thinks the skunk does. The trouble is that four words sound almost the same: skunk, stump, thunk and stunk.
👅 Sounds to Practise
- SK /sk/, as in skunk. A hiss, then the back of the tongue taps the roof of the mouth.
- ST /st/, as in stump and stunk. A hiss, then the tip of the tongue taps behind the top teeth.
- TH /θ/, as in thunk. The tongue tip rests between your teeth and air slips past. No voice, only air.
- NK /ŋk/, as in skunk, thunk and stunk. The back of the tongue stays up for the NG sound, then the K pops.
Quick test: say skunk, stunk, thunk. The ending is the same. Only the beginning changes.
🐢 Start Slow
Say each chunk slowly. Make each beginning separate.
A skunk sat on a stump
and thunk the stump stunk,
but the stump thunk
the skunk stunk.
🚶 Normal Speed
Say it at a natural pace, with the stressed syllables in capitals:
A SKUNK SAT on a STUMP and THUNK the STUMP STUNK, but the STUMP THUNK the SKUNK STUNK.
🚀 Tongue-Twister Mode
Say it three times in a row, as fast as you can:
A skunk sat on a stump and thunk the stump stunk, but the stump thunk the skunk stunk.
If skunk turns into stunk, or thunk turns into sunk, slow down. Check the first sound each time.
🤯 Why Is This So Difficult?
The ending of these words is almost always the same. Your mouth gets into a rhythm, then the beginning has to change.
skunk
stunk
thunk
- Skunk and stunk differ by one small tap: the back of the tongue for K, the tip for T.
- Thunk needs the tongue to move forward to the teeth, and then straight back for NK.
- Stump sits in the middle. It starts like stunk but ends with M and P, so your lips have to close at the end.
Say it fast and the beginnings blend. That is where skump and stunk swaps come from.
👀 Words to Notice
These words share the same ending, and each starts differently:
- skunk / stunk / thunk
- sunk / stunk
Say each set slowly, then quickly: skunk, stunk, thunk, skunk.
🏆 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:
Six stinky skunks stood stiffly on seven stumps.
Three times, fast, and don't let the skunks swap places.
🧐 Did You Know?
The usual past tense of think is thought. Thunk is a different, informal form. Merriam-Webster calls this use dialectal, which means it belongs to a region or to casual speech, and it is mostly used as a joke.
Stunk is the past of stink, and it is correct: stink, stank, stunk. So the twister mixes a real past tense with a made-up one.
🔗 Related Practice
- Thirty Thirsty Thrushes: more practice with the TH sound.
- Six Shy Sheep: practise S sounds in a longer twister.