Tongue twisterTrickyArabic

خالد خلّى خلال خاله في الخلاء. (Khālid khallā khalāl khālih fī al-khalāʾ.)

Meaning: A rapid-fire 'kh' (خ) drill — the throaty fricative that non-Arabic speakers find uniquely difficult.

Literally: Khalid left his uncle's cucumber / space in the open.

Origin: A popular modern Arabic tongue twister used in pronunciation classes across the Arab world.

More Arabic tongue twisters

Explore another collection: False Friends

Words that look familiar in another language but mean something else entirely.

  • Glass Actually means 'ice cream'. En glass = an ice cream. For a glass (vessel), say ett glas.
  • Semester Actually means 'holiday' or 'vacation'. A school semester is en termin.
  • Slim Actually means 'clever' or 'smart'. Hij is slim = He's clever.

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