Seesaw Tongue Twister

Tongue Twisters, English Tongue Twisters, Funny Tongue Twisters, Hard Tongue Twisters, Long Tongue Twisters / By

The Seesaw Tongue Twister

Mr. See owned a saw.
And Mr. Soar owned a seesaw.
Now, See’s saw sawed Soar’s seesaw
Before Soar saw See,
Which made Soar sore.
Had Soar seen See’s saw
Before See sawed Soar’s seesaw,
See’s saw would not have sawed
Soar’s seesaw.
So See’s saw sawed Soar’s seesaw.
But it was sad to see Soar so sore
Just because See’s saw sawed
Soar’s seesaw.

Why Is It So Hard?

Most tongue twisters trip you up with one repeated sound. Seesaw does something more devious: it uses homophones that look different but sound identical. See and sea, soar and sore, and the compound word seesaw forces your mouth to say “see” and “saw” back-to-back. Your brain starts swapping the wrong word mid-sentence without you realising it, especially at speed. That is what makes it one of the hardest tongue twisters in English.

History

Like most classic tongue twisters, Seesaw emerged from oral tradition rather than a single author. It belongs to a long English tradition of wordplay and elocution exercises dating back to the 19th century. What makes it unusual is its structure. Unlike “Peter Piper” which is essentially one repeated sentence, Seesaw tells an actual story with two characters, a property dispute, and a consequence. That narrative quality made it a favourite in parlour games, acting warm-ups, and speech therapy sessions, where the homophone trap is especially useful for training precise articulation.

Tips for Saying It

  • Slow down first. It is your brain, not your mouth, that makes the mistake. Slowing down gives it time to pick the right word.
  • Pause at full stops. Each sentence is a separate challenge. Take them one at a time before linking them together.
  • Start with just one line. “See’s saw sawed Soar’s seesaw” is the hardest part. Master that first before attempting the full version.

Explore More Tongue Twisters

Love a good challenge? Browse our full collection of tongue twisters — from easy to fiendishly hard.