How to Talk Like Donald Duck

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Last Updated: September 30, 2024

Talking like Donald Duck can be a great trick to impress friends and make kids laugh. The character of Donald Duck has been around for over 85 years and his voice is immediately recognizable to people of all ages around the world. The key to pulling off a great Donald Duck impression is to perfect the voice of Donald Duck and make use of some of Donald's trademark quotes or sayings. Anyone can do it, it just takes a good deal of practice to master the technique.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Sounding Like Donald

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Open your teeth slightly. Place your tongue so the top of your tongue is lightly touching the roof of your mouth.
Go with whatever direction feels more comfortable to you. Put the side of your tongue slightly inside the space between your upper and lower teeth.

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Push your tongue against the inside of the teeth on the side of your mouth. Use enough pressure that the tongue remains in contact with the teeth, but loose enough that you can push air between your tongue and teeth.
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Vibrate your tongue. Blow air and direct it into the cheek that your tongue is on. Use your cheek to push the air through the gap behind or between your teeth and your tongue.^{[1]
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Research source} When you push the air through properly, you will hear a high-pitched, hoarse sound.
- Try pushing the air through different spaces between your tongue and your teeth until you hit a good spot. It might be difficult at first to make the sound consistently, but keep at it. Getting this voice down will require strengthening muscles of your mouth your aren't used to using for speaking.
- Be patient. It took the current actor that plays Donald Duck a full year of training to get the voice right.^{[2]
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  Research source}
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Form words as you would with your own voice. Most of the work in changing your voice should be done with your mouth, not your vocal cords. If you are feeling any soreness in your throat you should take a break. Talking like Donald, especially attempting a long Donald Duck rant, takes a lot of breath and can make you light-headed. Even the voice actor that plays Donald needs a break after a long rant^{[3]
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Research source} so be sure you don't overdo it.
- To make the angry Donald sound make the normal Donald noise while shaking your head so your cheeks flap and vibrate the sound.
- Some letters are easier to say than others. For example, when Donald Duck says the word little, it sounds like widdle. Changes to letter pronunciation will come naturally as a limitation to speaking in his voice.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Using Donald Phrases

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1
Use Donald Duck expressions. "Boy, oh boy!" This is one of the most common expressions used by Donald Duck and can be heard in most of his dialogues. It can be added on to the beginning of most sentences and can express a wide range of emotions.
- Use some of Donald's other favorite words like "scram," "phooey" and "doggone" continually.^{[4]
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  Research source} Donald also likes to ask the question, "What's the big idea?"
Donald is a famously cranky duck that gets angry over just about anything. Work on making angry Donald Duck noises. Try making an angry quacking noise while doing the Donald Duck voice.
Donald Duck speaks in an animated way. Listen to some clips of Donald speaking and pay attention to the pitch and tone of his voice. When he is excited he tends to speak faster in a much higher pitch. When he is sad the pitch drops and his speech slows down.

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Question

Where do I apply to be a Donald Duck impersonator?

Community Answer

Contact Disney World for an application.

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When should I stop acting like Donald Duck?

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You should stop when the people around you are getting annoyed.

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Question

How can I make an air pocket in my cheek?

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Pretend to dramatically hold your breath, but only with one cheek.

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Tips

Some words are harder to say than others. try words like hello and what? (for hello he would pronounce it like "hewow".)

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Make sure you stay hydrated, it does not work as well with a dry mouth.

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Play around with different mouth tongue and lip positions.

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Tips from our Readers

The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.

Don't try and go for big words untill you get small ones down. I started with "Hello, how are you doing? I'm Donald Duck" and then progressed.
Stick your tongue out slightly while speaking.
Try vibrating your cheeks when you talk.

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Warnings

What makes Donald Duck’s voice unique is that it primarily uses the inner cheek rather than the larynx. If you are using your throat and feel strained, this is not correct technique.

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You may feel lightheaded, (If so, take a break). In his later years, Clarence Nash, the original voice of Donald Duck would take frequent breaks to avoid overexerting himself.

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