• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Activities
  • Crafts
  • Games
  • Parenting
  • Toys
  • Videos
  • Game Night
  • Educational Activities
  • Toddler Art Activities
  • Toddler Motor Skills Activities
  • Preschooler Art Activities
  • Winter activities for kids
  • Cooking Activities for Kids
  • Traveling With Kids
  • Christmas Crafts
  • Mommy Time
  • Motherhood Tips
  • Acts of Kindness Ideas
  • Kid Friendly Recipes
  • Things We Love
  • Easy Halloween Costume for Kids
  • About/Contact

Playtivities logo

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Activities
  • Crafts
  • Games
  • Parenting
  • Toys
  • Videos
  • Game Night
  • Educational Activities
  • Toddler Art Activities
  • Toddler Motor Skills Activities
  • Preschooler Art Activities
  • Winter activities for kids
  • Cooking Activities for Kids
  • Traveling With Kids
  • Christmas Crafts
  • Mommy Time
  • Motherhood Tips
  • Acts of Kindness Ideas
  • Kid Friendly Recipes
  • Things We Love
  • Easy Halloween Costume for Kids
  • About/Contact
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Activities
  • Crafts
  • Games
  • Parenting
  • Toys
  • Videos
  • Game Night
  • Educational Activities
  • Toddler Art Activities
  • Toddler Motor Skills Activities
  • Preschooler Art Activities
  • Winter activities for kids
  • Cooking Activities for Kids
  • Traveling With Kids
  • Christmas Crafts
  • Mommy Time
  • Motherhood Tips
  • Acts of Kindness Ideas
  • Kid Friendly Recipes
  • Things We Love
  • Easy Halloween Costume for Kids
  • About/Contact
×

Home » Nursery Rhymes

Published: Dec 15, 2022 by Birute Efe · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

Betty Botter Printable Lyrics, Origins, and Video

Nursery rhymes are fun because of the rhythm, alliterations, and rhyme schemes. Betty Botter is a tongue-twister from the Mother Goose collection of rhymes for children. Since tongue twisters are so much fun to say aloud, people came up with multiple versions of the same. 

Parents use the rhyme at home to teach kids to understand the English language and its pronunciation. Tongue twisters are perfect for language training and can be customized as needed. Adults and kids love repeating sentences and trying to get them right. Did you win a tongue-twister contest as a kid? We sure did.

Read on for more information. 

Written Lyrics

Carolyn Wells’ Version: 

Betty Botta bought some butter;

“But,” said she, “this butter’s bitter!

If I put it in my batter

It will make my batter bitter.

But a bit o’ better butter

Will but make my batter better.”

Then she bought a bit o’ butter

Better than the bitter butter,

Made her bitter batter better.

So ’twas better Betty Botta

Bought a bit o’ better butter.

Shorter Version: 

Betty Botter bought a bit of butter
but the bit of butter was bitter
so Betty Botter bought a bit of better butter
to make the bit of bitter butter better.

Printable Lyrics 

Download the printable PDF file of Betty Botter from this link. 

Photo Lyrics 

Save a copy of the image on your device. 

Betty Botter lyrics

Video Links

Watch this adorable animation of the rhyme: 

Origins and History

The original version of Betty Botter Bought Butter was written by Carolyn Wells, an American author of 170 books. She wrote children’s books and poetry during her initial days. The nursery rhyme was written during this phase. It was a part of The Jingle Book, published in 1899. The rhyme was a single stanza of eleven lines with alliterations and an AA rhyme scheme. 

A few years later, Betty Botter had a new version written by Bronte Alberts. This one had just three lines taken and rearranged from the original. Then came Oscheff Fia’s version, which was also three lines. However, the second line was super long and had sixteen words. 

There’s another version where the poem was rewritten in three long sentences. This one converted a poem into a story. A slightly different version is used in the UK. 

One version of the nursery rhyme uses Betty Batta instead of Betty Botter and reads like a story (in prose form). 

It’s not over yet! There’s James Josie’s version with five lines, again a mash-up of the original. 

Lynn Tomlinson, an animator and artist, created one more version of the tongue-twister for PBS Kids Television Channel. The animated version had seven lines (slightly longer ones), followed by a couple of lines where the narrator is also a part of the poem. 

Phew! There could be more versions, though these are most popular or commonly used by parents and teachers. 

FAQs

What is the significance of Betty Botter nursery rhyme? 

Well, there isn’t any specific significance. Carolyn Wells liked to write nonsensical and humorous poems in her younger days. She would send her works to magazines for publishing. The Jingle Book is a collection of such poems written for kids, with illustrations by Oliver Herford. 

Is there a syllable pattern in the rhyme? 

Yes. Betty Botter rhyme has a two-syllable pattern. The first syllable had vowels (batter, butter, bitter, & Botter). The vowels were different (a,u, i, & o). 

More fun:

  • Baa, Baa, Black Sheep Printable Lyrics, Origins, and Video
  • Bingo Printable Lyrics, Origins, and Video
  • Beans Beans The Magical Fruit Lyrics, Origins, and Video
  • Dem Bones Printable Lyrics, Origins, and Video

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Hi, I'm Birute! I've created playtivites to eliminate boring afternoons and family gatherings. With hundreds of family activities and play ideas, and crafts both parents and kids will enjoy.

More about me →

Recent:

  • Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe Lyrics, Origins, and Video
  • Early To Bed Printable Lyrics, Origins, and Video
  • Finger Family Printable Lyrics, Origins, and Video
  • Five Little Ducks Printable Lyrics, Origins, and Video

Popular:

  • 25 Family Friendly Dare Ideas For Game Night
  • 20 Family Game Night Ideas
  • 25 Easiest Low Prep Obstacle Courses for Kids
  • 20 Activities for Siblings to Bond, Compete and Cooperate

Pages:

  • About us
  • Advertise
  • Have a question?
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Disclaimer

Copyright © 2023

0 shares