Dime diez dichos.
DI-me DYES DI-chos
Tell me ten sayings.
🔊 Listen & Practice
Start with slow speed to master pronunciation, then gradually increase to challenge yourself.
🎨 Visualization
Can you tell me ten sayings? This short twister helps you master the Spanish 'd' and 'ch' sounds.
🎯 Pronunciation Focus
The Two 'd' Sounds (Hard vs. Soft)
/d/ & /ð/Spanish has two 'd' sounds. At the start of a phrase ('Dime', 'diez'), it's a 'hard d' where your tongue touches behind your top teeth. But when 'd' is between vowels (like in '...diez dichos...'), it softens to a 'th' sound, like in the English word 'they'.
The Crisp 'ch' Sound
/tʃ/This sound is like the 'ch' in the English word 'cheese', but it's made quicker and sharper. Your tongue starts in the 't' position and releases into a short 'sh' sound.
📝 Practice Breakdown
Start with the 'hard d' sound. The tip of your tongue should touch the back of your top teeth for both 'dime' and 'diez'. It's softer and further forward than the English 'd'.
Now for the fun part. The 'd' in 'dichos' can soften to a 'th' sound (like in 'they') because it follows the vowel sound from 'diez'. Focus on making the 'ch' sound sharp and quick.
Key Words in This Tongue Twister:
📚 Background
This is a very short and classic 'trabalenguas' used to practice the articulation of the 'd' and 'ch' sounds. It's a fantastic warm-up for getting your mouth ready to speak Spanish clearly.
❌ Common Pitfalls
Using the English 'd'
Mistake: "Making the 'd' sound with the tongue further back on the roof of the mouth, like in the English word 'dog'."
Correction: The Spanish 'd' is 'dental'. This means the tip of your tongue must physically touch the back of your top front teeth. This makes the sound lighter and softer than in English.
A Lazy 'ch' Sound
Mistake: "Pronouncing 'dichos' with a soft 'sh' sound, making it sound like 'di-shos'."
Correction: The Spanish 'ch' is always a sharp, crisp sound, like in 'cheese' or 'choo-choo train'. Think of it as a 't' sound that immediately explodes into an 'sh' sound.
🌎 Where It's Used
General Spanish
This is a fundamental pronunciation exercise known and used everywhere in the Spanish-speaking world.
🔗 Related Tongue Twisters
The Ten Sayings Sprint
How many times can you say 'Dime diez dichos' perfectly in 10 seconds? Try to keep the 'd' and 'ch' sounds clean and distinct!
🏷️ Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are there two 'd' sounds in Spanish?
It's all about making the language flow smoothly. The 'hard d' is used at the beginning of a thought or after 'n' or 'l'. The 'soft d' (like 'th' in 'they') is used everywhere else, especially between vowels, to make speech sound more fluid and connected.
Is the 'ch' sound in Spanish always the same?
Yes, thankfully! Unlike some sounds in English that can change, the Spanish 'ch' is very consistent. It's always the sharp sound you hear in 'chocolate' or 'Chile'. Once you learn it, you can use it confidently in any word.