Czech Tongue Twisters: Strč Prst Skrz Krk and More (with Audio)
| Tongue twister | Meaning | Hear |
|---|---|---|
| Strč prst skrz krk. | Stick a finger through your throat. | |
| Tři sta třicet tři stříbrných stříkaček stříkalo přes tři sta třicet tři stříbrných střech. | 333 silver fire engines sprayed over 333 silver roofs. | |
| Řehoři, řekni ř. | Řehoř, say ř. |
Czech tongue twisters (jazykolamy) are short sentences packed with hard Czech sounds. The best known is Strč prst skrz krk (“stick a finger through your throat”), which has no vowels at all, and Tři sta třicet tři stříbrných stříkaček, a drill for ř. They are a classic way to practice Czech pronunciation.
Czech tongue twisters, called jazykolamy (literally “tongue-breakers”), are short rhymes and sentences that pile up the sounds Czech is famous for: ř, clusters of consonants, and syllables with no vowels at all. Czech children grow up with them, and they are one of the most fun ways for learners to drill pronunciation.
Every line below has a Hear button that reads it with your device’s Czech voice. Start slowly, get each word right, then speed up.
The famous one: Strč prst skrz krk
Strč prst skrz krk means “stick a finger through your throat” (or neck). It is a grammatical sentence with four words and not a single vowel letter. Each syllable is carried by a syllabic r, written [str̩t͡ʃ pr̩st skr̩s kr̩k]. The z in skrz sounds like s because the k after it is voiceless.
The sentence works because Czech r and l can act like vowels between consonants, just as in vlk (“wolf”) or Brno. Wikipedia’s article on the phrase reports a much longer vowel-free sentence, recorded in 2013, of 25 words. The everyday examples are shorter:
| Czech | Meaning | What it trains | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strč prst skrz krk. | Stick a finger through your throat. | four syllables carried by r | |
| Smrž pln skvrn zvlhl z mlh. | A spotted morel got damp from the fog. | syllabic r and l | |
| Chrt pln skvrn zhltl hrst zrn. | A spotted greyhound gulped down a handful of grain. | ch, syllabic r and l |
To say these, do not insert an “uh” before the r. Let the r itself buzz for a beat, like the end of American “butter” stretched out. Our guide to Czech pronunciation explains syllabic r and l in more detail.
Czech tongue twisters for the letter ř
Ř is the classic test. These lines put it in every position, voiced after vowels and voiceless after t and p.
| Czech | Meaning | What it trains | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tři sta třicet tři stříbrných stříkaček stříkalo přes tři sta třicet tři stříbrných střech. | 333 silver fire engines sprayed over 333 silver roofs. | voiceless ř after t, the cluster stř | |
| Řehoři, řekni ř. Neřeknu, Řeřichu, ty by ses mi řehtal. | Řehoř, say ř. I won’t, Řeřich, you would laugh at me. | voiced ř at the start of words | |
| Kmotře Petře, nepřepepřete mi toho vepře. | Godfather Petr, don’t over-pepper my pork. | ř after p and t, repeated pře |
The stříbrných stříkaček line is the one Czechs reach for when they want to tease a foreigner. It is also a good number drill: tři sta třicet tři is 333. If you need the sound itself first, work through our steps on how to pronounce ř, then come back.
Twisters for s, š, j and ě
| Czech | Meaning | What it trains | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strýc Šusta suší švestky. | Uncle Šusta is drying plums. | s against š | |
| Pštros s pštrosicí a malými pštrosáčaty. | A male ostrich with a female ostrich and their little chicks. | the cluster pštr | |
| Nesnese se se sestřenicí. | He can’t stand his cousin. | se se: the reflexive and the preposition side by side | |
| Letěl jelen jetelem. | A stag ran through the clover. | ě and the y-sound of j | |
| Nenaolejuje-li mu ji Julie, naolejuji mu ji já. | If Julie doesn’t oil it for him, I will. | long chains of j and vowels |
Nesnese se se sestřenicí is a nice grammar joke as well as a sound drill. The first se belongs to the verb snést se (“to get along”), the second is the preposition “with”, and the cousin follows in the instrumental case.
Czech tongue twisters for kids
Some lines are silly rather than hard, which makes them ideal for children in Czech-heritage families or for a first lesson. They rely on repeated syllables instead of rare sounds.
| Czech | Meaning | What it trains | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|
| Měla babka v kapse brabce, brabec babce v kapse píp. | Granny had a sparrow in her pocket; the sparrow went cheep in granny’s pocket. | b, br and the long í | |
| Od poklopu ku poklopu kyklop kouli koulí. | From hatch to hatch, a cyclops rolls a ball. | k, l and the diphthong ou |
The sparrow line is a little rhyme: brabce and babce differ by one r, and the joke is in the sound píp, the Czech “cheep”. The cyclops line is a drill for k, l and the diphthong ou, which glides like the “oh” in “go”.
How to practice Czech tongue twisters
- Read the words aloud one at a time. Check each letter’s sound in the Czech alphabet pronunciation guide.
- Mark the stress. Every word is stressed on the first syllable, which gives the line its rhythm.
- Keep long vowels long. In stříbrných the ý is long even at full speed.
- Speed up in three passes. Slow, normal, fast. Stop when accuracy drops.
- Record yourself and compare with the Hear button.
The browser’s Czech voice is a computer voice. It is good for rhythm and letter sounds but can blur fast clusters. Use it as a guide, not a judge.
Common mistakes
- Adding a vowel to syllabic r: “ster-ch per-st” instead of strč prst.
- Pronouncing the z in skrz: it is “skrs”.
- Voicing ř after t: tři has the hissing, voiceless ř.
- Stressing the second syllable of stříkaček: the stress stays on stří.
- Mixing up s and š in Strýc Šusta suší.
Want more sound practice? Try the Czech alphabet quiz or browse the háček letters one by one. The twisters on this page are traditional, and you will find them in many collections, including Omniglot’s list.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most famous of the Czech tongue twisters?
Strč prst skrz krk, meaning “stick a finger through your throat”. It contains no vowel letters at all.
How can a Czech sentence have no vowels?
In Czech, r and l can form the core of a syllable between consonants, so words like krk (neck) and vlk (wolf) need no vowel.
What does tři sta třicet tři stříbrných stříkaček mean?
“Three hundred thirty-three silver fire engines.” The full line says they sprayed over 333 silver roofs.
What is the Czech word for tongue twister?
Jazykolam, plural jazykolamy. It literally means “tongue-breaker”.
