Pablito clavó un clavito en la calva de un calvito.
pa-BLI-to cla-VÓ un cla-VI-to en la CAL-va de un cal-VI-to
Little Pablo hammered a little nail into the bald head of a little bald man.
🔊 Listen & Practice
Start with slow speed to master pronunciation, then gradually increase to challenge yourself.
🎨 Visualization
Pablito, the little carpenter with a very specific target.
🎯 Pronunciation Focus
The Spanish 'b'/'v' Sound
/b/In Spanish, 'b' and 'v' make the exact same sound. It's softer than the English 'b'. Touch your lips together gently without the puff of air you'd use for the English word 'boy'.
The 'cl' and 'bl' Consonant Clusters
/kl/, /bl/Focuses on blending the 'c' or 'b' sound directly into the 'l' sound without adding an extra vowel in between (e.g., say 'cla-vo', not 'ca-la-vo').
📝 Practice Breakdown
Start here. Focus on the 'bl' in 'Pablito' and the 'cl' in 'clavó' and 'clavito'. Remember, the 'b' and 'v' sounds are identical and soft.
This is the trickiest part. The words 'calva' and 'calvito' are very similar. Say them slowly at first to feel the difference, then speed up.
Key Words in This Tongue Twister:
📚 Background
This is a classic 'trabalenguas' known by children all over the Spanish-speaking world. Its playful and slightly silly imagery makes it memorable, and it's a fantastic exercise for mastering consonant clusters like 'bl' and 'cl', which can be tricky for learners.
❌ Common Pitfalls
Using a hard English 'b' or 'v'
Mistake: "Pronouncing the 'b' in 'Pablito' or the 'v' in 'clavó' with a strong puff of air, or trying to make the 'v' sound like in the English word 'victory'."
Correction: In Spanish, 'b' and 'v' are the same soft sound. Bring your lips together gently and let the sound come out, without the explosive puff of air. It's a much more relaxed sound.
Separating the Consonant Clusters
Mistake: "Accidentally adding a vowel sound, making 'clavó' sound like 'ca-la-vó' or 'Pablito' like 'Pa-be-lito'."
Correction: Practice the cluster by itself. Say 'la, la, la' then add the 'c' right at the beginning: 'cla'. The two sounds should blend together instantly. Same for 'bl': say 'blo, blo, blo'.
🌎 Where It's Used
General Spanish
This tongue twister is universally known and used across the entire Spanish-speaking world as a fun pronunciation exercise for children and learners.
🔗 Related Tongue Twisters
The Little Nail Challenge
Can you say it three times in a row without getting Pablito's hammer stuck? The key is the smooth transition between 'calva' and 'calvito'!
🏷️ Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do 'b' and 'v' sound the same in Spanish?
That's a fantastic observation! Historically, they were different sounds, but over centuries they merged. In modern standard Spanish, the letters 'b' and 'v' represent the exact same sound. The spelling is based on the word's Latin origin, but the pronunciation is identical.
What does the '-ito' ending mean?
Adding '-ito' (for masculine words) or '-ita' (for feminine words) is called a diminutive. It's a very common and affectionate way to say something is small or cute. So 'Pablo' becomes 'Pablito' (little Pablo), 'clavo' (nail) becomes 'clavito' (little nail), and 'calvo' (bald man) becomes 'calvito' (little bald man).