Are you able to pronounce these Filipino words?

Filipino words are spelled as they are pronounced, but sometimes it is in the pronunciation that we stumble. To cap off Buwan ng Wika, here are five Filipino words that will leave you stuttering and breathless.

Try saying these tongue twisters aloud. Source: Getty Images/Hill Street Studios

1. Mamasa-masa

Mamasa-masa means ‘a bit moist’.

Tricky but not too difficult to pronounce, yes? That’s just a starter.

2. Pamamatnubay

Meaning ‘guidance’, it’s not unusual to hear or see the shortened term of this word on Filipino television programmes and movies; as in, ‘patnubay ng mga magulang’ or ‘parental guidance’ in English.

3. Kinahihinatnan

‘Kinahihinatnan’ is a Filipino word that means ‘result’ or ‘consequence’.

4. Pinakipakinabangan

The shortened term ‘pakinabang’ means ‘usefulness’. It has lengthened versions that connote various degrees of ‘usefulness’ or ‘being used’, such as ‘kapanipakinabang’, ‘pinakipakinabangan’, ‘pakinabangan’, and others.

5. Pinakanakapagpapabagabag-damdamin

Breathe in and prepare to swallow back some saliva.

In as much as ‘pinakanakapagpapabagabag-damdamin’ means ‘the most heart wrenching’, this word is one of the most tongue-twisting.

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