ESEN
Which one to use?Intermediatenoun / verbnoun / verb
CuevsQueue
'Cue' is a signal to act or a billiard stick; 'queue' is a line of people or things waiting.
Side-by-side comparison
Cue
noun / verb"Cue" is a signal that tells a performer when to speak or act. Also a billiard stick. In American English, "cue up a song" = add it to a playlist.
The director gave the actor a cue to begin the scene with his entrance.
That is your cue to speak, the moderator just introduced your name.
He leaned on the cue and lined up his shot across the billiard table.
Queue
noun / verb"Queue" is a line of people or vehicles waiting their turn. Very common in British English. "Join the queue" = take your place at the end of the line. Also: a list of tasks or files waiting to be processed.
There was a forty-minute queue outside the venue before the doors opened.
The support tickets are in the queue and will be processed in order of receipt.
British people are famously patient about queuing in an orderly line.
Common mistake
- •"That was his queue to speak" when meaning the signal is wrong: the signal is "cue".
- •"Stand in the cue" when meaning the waiting line is also wrong: the waiting line is "queue".
Trick to remember it
- •"Cue" = 3 letters, quick and sharp like a signal.
- •"Queue" = 5 letters but only "qu" is pronounced, the rest are silent, like people quietly standing in line.
Quick rule
- •Is it the signal to act or the billiard stick? "Cue".
- •Is it the waiting line? "Queue".
Did you know?
"Queue" is one of the strangest words in English: five letters but only QU is pronounced, the UEUE at the end is entirely silent. From French "queue" (tail). "Cue" began as a theatrical "Q" written in medieval English scripts, an abbreviation for Latin "quando" (when), marking the moment an actor should speak. Actors eventually said the letter "Q" aloud as "cue". "Take your cue from X" (follow someone's lead) comes from this theatrical origin.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
There was a long _____ outside the bakery. Everyone was waiting for fresh bread.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
That was her _____ to leave. She stood up and quietly headed for the door.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Related word pairs
AcceptvsExcept
One means to receive or agree to something, the other means to exclude or not include.
AdvicevsAdvise
'Advice' is the guidance you receive (noun); 'advise' is the act of giving that guidance (verb).
AffectvsEffect
'Affect' is the verb meaning to influence something; 'effect' is the noun meaning result or consequence.
AislevsIsle
'Aisle' is the walkway between rows of seats or shelves; 'isle' is a small island.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy