Splendid spaniels splashed, spluttered and splattered.
Four of the five words start with SPL, which is S, P and L in a row. The tiny P in the middle is the part that disappears when you rush.
👅 Sounds to Practise
- SPL /spl/, as in splendid, splashed, spluttered and splattered. Make an S, then a small pop of the lips for the P, then lift the tongue tip for the L.
- SP /sp/, as in spaniels. The same start, with no L.
- SH /ʃ/, as in splashed. A soft shh, and then a quick T on the end.
Quick test: say spit, then split. The L is the sound you add.
🐢 Start Slow
Say each chunk slowly. Keep the S, P and L together.
Splendid spaniels
splashed, spluttered
and splattered.
🚶 Normal Speed
Say it at a natural pace, with the stressed syllables in capitals:
SPLENdid SPANiels SPLASHED, SPLUTtered and SPLATtered.
🚀 Tongue-Twister Mode
Say it three times in a row, as fast as you can:
Splendid spaniels splashed, spluttered and splattered.
If splashed sounds like slashed, or spluttered sounds like stuttered, slow down and bring the P back.
🤯 Why Is This So Difficult?
- Three sounds in a row. SPL starts four words, and the P is only a tiny pop of air between two flowing sounds, so it is easy to swallow.
- The vowels change. Splashed and splattered share the same vowel, but spluttered has a different one, so the middle verb is the trap.
- The endings are different. Splashed ends with a T sound, while spluttered and splattered finish with a soft D.
- One word breaks the pattern. Spaniels has SP but no L, so the L has to disappear for one word and come back for the next.
👀 Words to Notice
- split /splɪt/ and spit /spɪt/
- splat /splæt/ and spat /spæt/
- splash /splæʃ/ and slash /slæʃ/
🏆 OddLingo Challenge
- Round 1: say it slowly, one chunk at a time, with no mistakes.
- Round 2: say the whole sentence once at normal speed.
- Round 3: say it three times fast without stopping.
Bonus round: try this one:
Splashing spaniels splattered splendid splotches.
🔗 Related Practice
- Spry Sprinters: a three-consonant start.
- Strange Strategic Statistics: the STR cluster.
- Six Sleek Swans: S with SL and SW.
- Sharp Shrimp: the SHR cluster.