Commonly Confused Words

Cue vs. Queue

1 min read

Cue and queue sound the same, but they mean very different things. Mixing them up can change the entire meaning of a sentence.

Cue

Cue is usually a noun or a verb meaning:

a signal or prompt to do something
a hint or reminder
a stick used in billiards or pool

That was my cue to start speaking.
The actor waited for his cue before entering.
He chalked his cue and took the shot.

Queue

Queue is a noun or a verb meaning:

a line of people or things waiting for something
to line up or to place in a line (including digital queues)

There was a long queue outside the store.
Please queue behind the yellow line.
I added the movie to my Netflix queue.

💡 Tip

Cue → like a signal or a pool cue (short word = small signal).
Queue → looks long, like a long line of people.

Test your knowledge 📝

Question 1 sur 8Score: 0/8

The actor waited for his ___ before stepping on stage.

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Commonly Confused Words

Cue vs. Queue

1 min read

Cue and queue sound the same, but they mean very different things. Mixing them up can change the entire meaning of a sentence.

Cue

Cue is usually a noun or a verb meaning:

a signal or prompt to do something
a hint or reminder
a stick used in billiards or pool

That was my cue to start speaking.
The actor waited for his cue before entering.
He chalked his cue and took the shot.

Queue

Queue is a noun or a verb meaning:

a line of people or things waiting for something
to line up or to place in a line (including digital queues)

There was a long queue outside the store.
Please queue behind the yellow line.
I added the movie to my Netflix queue.

💡 Tip

Cue → like a signal or a pool cue (short word = small signal).
Queue → looks long, like a long line of people.

Test your knowledge 📝

Question 1 sur 8Score: 0/8

The actor waited for his ___ before stepping on stage.

Discover the app: Shaky English

Join 100,000 people who are improving their English skills on the Shaky English app

Other similar rules

Common confusions

Who vs. That

Common confusions

Illusion vs. Allusion

Agreement rules

Word Order with Adverbs of Frequency (always, never, usually)

Common confusions

I.e. vs. E.g.

Vocabulary

Title Capitalization

Vocabulary

Commas

Common confusions

Reign vs. Rein vs. Rain

Vocabulary