Susie sits in Sam's shoeshine shop.
Six words, and the S sounds change as you go. Susie has an S and a Z sound, Sam's ends with Z, and shoeshine shop is all SH.
👅 Sounds to Practise
- S /s/, as in sits, Sam's (the first sound) and Susie (the first sound). A thin hiss with the tongue near the ridge.
- Z /z/, as in Susie (the middle) and Sam's (the end). The same position, but your throat buzzes.
- SH /ʃ/, as in shoeshine and shop. A wider, softer hiss, with the lips a little round.
Quick test: say sue, then shoe. For S the lips stay flat. For SH the lips round.
🐢 Start Slow
Say each chunk slowly.
Susie sits
in Sam's
shoeshine shop.
🚶 Normal Speed
Say it at a natural pace, with the stressed syllables in capitals:
SUsie SITS in SAM'S SHOEshine SHOP.
🚀 Tongue-Twister Mode
Say it three times in a row, as fast as you can:
Susie sits in Sam's shoeshine shop.
If it falls apart, that is normal. Slow down and try again. Keep the S thin and the SH wide.
🤯 Why Is This So Difficult?
One letter, two sounds, and then a third sound joins in.
Susie / Sam's / shop
- The letter S says /s/ in sits, and /z/ in Susie (the middle) and at the end of Sam's. So the spelling hides what to say.
- Then the SH sound follows in shoeshine and shop, where the lips have to round.
- The tongue moves from a thin hiss to a wide one inside a single short sentence.
👀 Words to Notice
These pairs change when you swap S and SH:
- sock / shock
- save / shave
- seat / sheet
- sigh / shy
- sore / shore
Say each pair slowly. Feel the lips flat for S, round for SH.
🏆 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:
Sam's sister sells silver shoes in the shop.
🔗 Related Practice
- She Sells Seashells: S and SH in a famous twister.
- Six Shy Sheep: another S against SH practice.