10 Craziest Polish Tongue Twisters
Series: Language
Read in
en
- en
- ru
Poland's queen Bona Sforza, originally from Italy, was one of the early victims of the terrible Polish phonology. Still from Królowa Bona, directed by Majewski Janusz, 1980, photo: Jan Górski / Filmoteka Narodowa / www.fototeka.fn.org.pl
10 Craziest Polish Tongue Twisters
language & literature
Mikołaj Gliński
Reading time: 9 min
Share:
Facebook Twitter
From tongue-twisters that could save your life, to ones that could twist your eye. Here’s Culture.pl's selection of the top ten Polish tongue twisters, thoroughly explained and annotated – not that it makes them any easier to pronounce!
Polish pronunciation has a reputation for being particularly difficult for foreigners. Here are some of the most famous Polish tongue twisters – they give even Poles a headache, and prove that this tongue can be a dangerous tool in your mouth. But remember, you’re doing it at your own risk!
1. Soczewica, koło, miele młyn
Meaning: ‘Lentil, wheel, mill grinds’
The Eternal Wisdom of Polish Proverbs
From bears and wolves to storms, love, and sharp objects, Poland’s age-old proverbs reveal a nation’s wit, irony, and philosophical bent. In this lively tour through the wisdom of Polish sayings, Mikołaj Gliński uncovers what these vivid, often contradictory expressions tell us about the country’s humour, history, and way of seeing the world – proving that for every Polish situation, there’s always a proverb (or two).
Read more
Go to the #language & literature topic page
Read more
The earliest recorded Polish tongue twister appeared in the early 14th century – and it’s one which could actually save your life. The word sequence was reportedly used by the soldiers of Polish king Władysław Łokietek to tell loyal citizens of Kraków from the revolted townspeople many of whom were of German descent. As the story goes, those who couldn’t pronounce the words correctly had their heads cut off.
Compared with the other tongue twisters, soczewica koło miele młyn isn’t particularly demanding – but for a Mediaeval shibboleth which could cost you your life, it will do.
2 . Pójdźże, kiń tę chmurność w głąb flaszy
Google Translate: ‘Come on, stick this cloud into the bottom of the flask’
Not a real tongue twister, but rather a warm up. This prevalently meaningless sentence contains all 32 characters of the Polish alphabet – which means it’s a pangram! You’re going to need many of these characters (and a couple more digrams) to read this phrase (if you don’t know what digrams might be, check our interactive guide to the Polish alphabet).
For now, you can further practice with these pangrams by poet Julian Tuwim:
Leż, dość późnych kłamstw, rąb fuzję, giń!
or
Pchnąć w tę łódź jeża lub ośm skrzyń fig.
A boy putting together a table, 1947, Warsaw, photo: Jerzy Baranowski/PAP
Brzechwa, Fredro, Tuwim: Poland’s Most Entertaining Educators?
In the past 300 years, Poland has produced some of the world's most fascinating works of children's literature. Here, using new translations of verses by Jan Brzechwa, Aleksander Fredro and Julian Tuwim, Marek Kazmierski shows how they can help us reminisce on happy moments from our own childhoods and teach a new generation a whole lot.
Read more
Go to the #language & literature topic pageGo to the #kids topic page
Read more
3. Stół z powyłamywanymi nogami
Meaning: ‘A table with broken legs’
This is a favourite with many Polish children (or rather it’s a favourite with adults who enjoy using it to torture children). As you can see, the difficulty here lies not in the sequence of specific difficult Polish sounds, but rather in the middle part of the ‘powyłamywanymi’ word – a source of eternal fun. Once you’re through with this one, try upgrading to ‘a ladder with broken rungs’:
Drabina z powyłamywanymi szczeblami.
But we’re still only warming up!
(With older children you can try: Ząb zupa zębowa, dąb zupa dębowa. Although it ostensibly means ‘Tooth, tooth soup, oak, oak soup’, failed attempts usually result in people uttering a certain low and cheeky Polish word…)
4. Król Karol kupił królowej Karolinie korale koloru koralowego
Meaning: ‘King Carol bought coral-coloured beads for Queen Caroline’
The troubling alternation between the trill R and approximant L is a classic humour inducer among many languages. (At least those that have a distinction between R and L – sorry, Japanese!) Also, note that the sentence is an example of a tautogram: all the words start with the same letter.
Secrets to Speaking Polish Like a Pole
You’ve made the smart decision to learn Polish. Great! But how do you start speaking Polish like a Pole? Culture.pl has asked Polish learners around the world for their top tips to get your language skills going.
Read more
Go to the #language & literature topic page
Read more
5. Lojalna Jola i nielojalna Jola
Meaning: ‘Loyal Jola and disloyal Jola’
This one works in a similar way by contrasting the Polish J and L. Don’t mind the slightly sexist connotations, just keep calm and try saying it!
6. W czasie suszy szosa sucha
Meaning: ‘In dry weather, the street is dry’
Alternating between the fricatives s and sz within a short fragment of text gives even Poles a headache. And the ż sound (which could also be represented as rz) is also awfully close – just try saying:
I cóż że ze Szwecji? (‘So what that it’s from Sweden?’)
Or just say ślusarz (‘locksmith’) – if you can!
Competition Beaters: 8 Superlative Polish Words
What is the shortest word in the Polish lexicon? And the longest? How about the most difficult to write, and most difficult to translate? And the most beautiful? Using our new book 'Quarks, Elephants & Pierogi: Poland in 100 Words' as inspiration, Culture.pl looks at eight superlative Polish words that truly take the crown.
Read more
Go to the #language & literature topic page
Read more
7. Czy rak trzyma w szczypcach strzęp szczawiu czy trzy części trzciny
Meaning: ‘Does the crab hold in its claws a piece of dock [the plant] or three pieces of reed?’
Combine fricatives with affricates ( c, ć, cz / dz, dź, dż) and we have a problem. But keep trying:
Czy trzy cytrzystki grają na cytrze,
czy druga gwiżdże, a trzecia łzy trze?
The above examples show the Polish tongue as a truly dangerous and potentially (self-) destructive weapon. One can almost understand now a certain apocryphal Sarah Bernhardt quote. Asked about how she liked the Polish language, the famous actress reportedly replied:
A lot, it's as if someone was chewing glass.
You can probably see now, as in the self-referential line from Jacek Kaczmarski’s song Elekcja, that this sabre-like Polish language really ‘cuts, whizzes and crunches’. But the original line in Polish is obviously so much better:
Szablistą polszczyzną tnie, świszcze i chrzęści
Monument to the infamous beetle in Szczebrzeszyn, photo: Iwona Burdzanowska / AG
8. W Szczebrzeszynie chrząszcz brzmi w trzcinie
Meaning: ‘In Szczebrzeszyn, a beetle buzzes in the reed’
This classic line from a children’s poem by Jan Brzechwa has all the best (and worst) out there in stock for anyone who wants to speak (or utter) Polish. The combinations of digraph sounds ( sz, cz, and rz) clustered with consonants ( b, ch, t) make it not only a particularly challenging tongue twister, but also (for those unaccustomed to the peculiar Polish orthography) a bit of an eye-twister. And yes, Szczebrzeszyn is a real town – today it’s famous not only for its beetle but also an annual festival of Polish language, as it has become its unofficial capital.
In case your eyes and tongue still feel up to the task, try this:
Przeleciały trzy pstre przepiórzyce przez trzy pstre kamienice(‘Three speckled quails flew past three speckled tenement houses’)
9. I wespół w zespół by żądz moc móc zmóc
Meaning: We're not even going to try translate this one!
But don’t be misled into thinking that Polish is only a source of torment for its users. Under the pen of the grand masters of Polish language, like Jeremi Przybora from the legendary TV show Kabaret Starszych Panów, these potentially lethal qualities were turned into instruments of pure intellectual (and sensual) pleasure. But don’t try it alone at home lest you irreparably sprain your mouth! Here it is interpreted by the great Wiesław Michnikowski.
Kabaret Starszych Panów: Poland’s Old-School Answer to The Beatles?
While The Beatles and Stones were beginning to experiment in the West, two ageing Polish gents were entertaining millions on the other side of the Iron Curtain. But why did they split up so suddenly? And why does everyone in Poland still know their songs, over 50 years after they retired? Marek Kazmierski presents some of their best-loved songs and investigates.
Read more
Go to the #music topic pageGo to the #language & literature topic page
Read more
10. Bonus
Finally, here’s proof that Polish, despite all its terrible tongue-twisting qualities, is often very beautiful and melodic. For the second stanza of Julian Tuwim’s poem Słowisień, you won’t be getting a translation, as the poem was written using an invented variety of Polish. So, just let it flow...
A gdy sierpiec na niebłoczu łyście,
W cieniem ciemnie jeno niedośpiewy
W białodrzewiu ćwirnie i srebliście
Słowik słowi słowisieńskie ciewy.
A gdy sierpiec na niebłoczu łyście...
Author: Mikołaj Gliński, 4 Sept 2017
Just in Case! Polish-Language Tips for Intermediate Speakers
Culture.pl presents the quirks of Polish language that intermediate learners should keep in mind!
Read more
Go to the #language & literature topic page
Read more
Published: Sep 13 2017
Last updated: Jul 17 2026
Author: Mikołaj Gliński
Mikołaj studied classics at Humboldt University in Berlin and cultural studies at the University of Warsaw's Institute of Polish Culture, where he wrote his MA in literature and history. He is a long-serving author for the English section at Culture.pl, where he specialises in these topics, as well as languages, his personal passion. Mikołaj is also co-author of Culture.pl's first book Quarks, Elephants & Pierogi: Poland in 100 Words, as well as the author of several multimedia projects, including Where Is Poland? and Artists in Arms. You can contact him directly on [email protected]
Tags:
Go to the polish languagetag pageGo to the learning languagestag pageGo to the Polish wordstag pageGo to the learn polishtag page
Recommended
The Polish Language: A Cheatsheet for Beginners
Learn Polish with Culture.pl! Below you’ll find (almost) all our best content about the Polish language in one handy place. It’s the perfect entry point to your new love affair with Poland’s fair tongue.
Go to the #language & literature topic page
Popular
The 9 Most Unpronounceable Words in Polish
Why is Polish so famously difficult to pronounce? This article explores nine fiendish words, place names and tongue-twisters, revealing the dense consonant clusters and unusual sound combinations that make the language both baffling and entertaining.
Go to the #language & literature topic page
How to Sound Like a Pole
Not longer than one syllable, these words may look insignificant or even useless – but they are at the very core of everyday Polish usage.
Go to the #language & literature topic page
Cheer up!
Now you can become a master of Polish culture and get our best articles straight to your inbox.
Just add your email address below.
Yes, I permit this data to be processed so that I can receive the newsletter, which sometimes includes info about other projects from the Adam Mickiewicz Institute.
This form is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Close the modal window (or press Escape)
reCAPTCHA
Recaptcha requires verification.
protected by reCAPTCHA
Contact Us
Your name
Email address
Your message
I give permission for what I’ve written in this contact form to be processed so that I can get a reply.
Attachments
Drag & drop files here, or click to choose file
Files must be less than 2 MB. Allowed file types: txt pdf doc docx gif jpg png
This form is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Close the modal window (or press Escape)
×