Spanish word

trabalenguas

Pronunciation

IPA/tɾaβaˈleŋgwas/

Meaning

  • masculine nountongue twister

Example

¿Puedes decir este trabalenguas tres veces rápido?

Can you say this tongue twister three times fast?

Illustration for trabalenguas (tongue twister)

More examples

En la fiesta hubo una competencia de trabalenguas entre amigos.

At the party there was a tongue twister competition among friends.

Core concept

Phrase that trips the tongue.

Common phrases

  • juego de trabalenguas

    tongue twister game

  • competencia de trabalenguas

    tongue twister competition

Similar words

retahíla: Sequence of short phrases that follow one another to form a long, rhythmic list.
rima: Poetic technique that aligns sounds or line endings to create rhythm and echo.
refrán: Concise traditional saying that expresses a common lesson or folk observation.
adivinanza: Short riddle that offers clues so listeners work out the hidden answer.

Definition in Spanish

Juego verbal formado por palabras que provocan confusión al pronunciarlas rápido, usado en juegos, clases de dicción y como reto entre hablantes.

Word origin

From Spanish trabar 'to tangle' plus lenguas 'tongues', literally 'tongue-tangler', originally meaning something that entangles the tongue and now naming phrases hard to pronounce quickly.

Usage tips

  • Despite ending in -s, trabalenguas commonly refers to a single tongue-twisting phrase and usually takes the masculine singular article el or un.

Word lists with this word