Betty Botter Tongue Twister

Tongue twisters are fun words games we use to challenge our pronunciation. As an English learner, you can use tongue twisters to help with pronunciation of certain consonant sounds in combination with a wide variety of vowels. In this tongue twister, Betty Botter, you can work on your 'b's. Use lots of breath to help you get the plosive 'b' sound strong. Remember that 'b' is voiced — pronounced using the vocal chords by a strong explosion of air through the lips.

Betty Botter

Betty Botter had some butter,
"But," she said, "this butter's bitter.
If I bake this bitter butter,
it would make my batter bitter.
But a bit of better butter--
that would make my batter better."

So she bought a bit of butter,
better than her bitter butter,
and she baked it in her batter,
and the batter was not bitter.
So 'twas better Betty Botter
bought a bit of better butter.

Listen to  Betty Botter a number of times and then try it for yourself!

Improving Your Pronunciation of B

Better Botter helps you practice 'b'. The 'b' sound is voiced and is similar to the 'p' sound which is voiceless. The difference between the two sounds is that the 'b' uses the voice. Practice the difference in these sounds with minimal pairs - words that only have a difference between the 'b' and 'p' sound. 

bob - pop
blob - plop
beg - peg
pitch - bitch
peck - beck

Feel the Sound Difference

Place your hand on your throat and say 'bag' and you will feel a vibration for both 'b' and 'go'. Place your hand on your throat and say 'pop' and you'll feel no vibration at all. To practice the difference, try the Peter Piper tongue twister below which focuses on the voiceless 'p'.