Welcome to our A1 beginner English story – a retelling of the classic nursery rhyme Little Miss Muffet. In this short tale, a little girl tries to enjoy her snack of curds and whey, but an unexpected visitor gives her a fright. The simple language and charming story make it ideal for learners at the start of their English journey.
As you read, you can tap or click any word to see its meaning, listen to the story audio read by a native speaker, and check the lesson notes for key vocabulary and grammar. It's a completely free, interactive way to build your English reading and listening skills.
Little Miss Muffet sits on a .
A tuffet is a small seat, like a cushion.
She has a bowl in her hands.
The bowl has .
Curds and whey are a white, soft food.
Miss Muffet eats the curds and whey.
She is happy. The food is good.
Then something moves.
A small comes down from a tree.
The spider is black and has eight legs.
It sits down Miss Muffet.
Miss Muffet sees the spider.
Oh! She is scared.
She does not like spiders.
The spider looks at her.
'Hello,' says the spider.
Miss Muffet .
'Oh, a spider!' she says.
',' says the spider.
'I am small. I am your friend.'
Miss Muffet looks at the spider.
She sees its little eyes.
The spider is not big and not bad.
Miss Muffet sits down again.
'You are small,' she says.
'Yes,' says the spider. 'I eat flies, not people.'
Miss Muffet laughs.
'Oh! That is funny,' she says.
Now she is not scared.
She eats her curds and whey again.
The spider sits with her.
They are friends.
Miss Muffet sits on a small seat.
A tuffet is a small, soft seat.
She holds a bowl.
The bowl has curds and whey.
Curds and whey are a soft, white food.
She eats the food.
She is happy because the food tastes good.
Then something moves.
A small spider comes down from a tree.
The spider is black with eight legs.
It sits beside her.
She sees the spider.
Oh! She gets scared.
She does not like spiders.
The spider looks at her.
The spider says hello.
She jumps up.
She says, 'Oh, a spider!'
The spider says, 'Do not be scared.'
'I am small and I am your friend.'
She looks at the spider.
She sees its little eyes.
The spider is not big or bad.
She sits down again.
She says, 'You are small.'
The spider says, 'Yes, I eat flies, not people.'
She laughs.
She says, 'Oh, that is funny!'
Now she is not scared.
She eats her food again.
The spider sits with her.
They become friends.
Let's look at some fun words from the story. Knowing these will help you understand and talk about everyday things.
A tuffet is an old word for a small, soft seat or cushion. Curds and whey is a simple, old-fashioned food made from milk-soft and white, like little lumps in liquid. When you are scared, you feel afraid. A spider is a small animal with eight legs. A friend is someone you like and trust. When you laugh, you make a happy sound because something is funny.
- tuffet = a soft, small seat
- curds and whey = a soft, white milk food
- scared = feeling afraid
- spider = an animal with eight legs
The story uses the simple present tense to tell us what happens. With he, she, or it, we often add -s to the verb.
Look at these lines from the story: "Little Miss Muffet sits on a tuffet." "She has a bowl." "The spider comes down." The words sits, has, and comes all end with -s because the subject is one person or thing.
- I eat → she eats
- I sit → he sits
- I have → it has (not haves!)
- I come → a spider comes
In the story, the spider says, "Do not be scared." This is a friendly way to help someone stop feeling afraid. We can make it shorter: "Don't be scared."
Use "Do not…" or "Don't…" when you want to tell someone not to do something. It is a command (an imperative). It is kind and direct.
- "Do not run!" → "Don't run!"
- "Do not worry!" → "Don't worry!"
- "Do not be scared!" → "Don't be scared!"
Now you know the words and the simple present, why not try telling the story yourself? Use the pictures in your mind or draw a little spider and a bowl.
Start with: "Little Miss Muffet sits on a tuffet…" and see how far you can go. Look for other stories with many he/she/it verbs. The more you notice, the easier it becomes!
Little Miss Muffet comes from the English / nursery rhyme tradition and is best known as a nursery rhyme. This Yak Yacker article is an original learner retelling based on Traditional nursery rhyme; public domain, so the wording here is simplified for modern learners rather than copied from one old edition.
Older printings, translations, and retellings of this story can vary quite a bit. The original audience was usually kids, but this version is adapted for A1 Beginner learners studying English. Spider/fear vocabulary.
If you want to look into the source tradition, start with Wikisource.
If you want to keep going, browse more in our English section and review the A1 English Vocabulary List. After that, try English Question Words for another useful next step.
