Cue vs Queue | Difference, Meaning & Examples
A queue is a line of people waiting for something, while a cue is a signal indicating that something should happen or a stick used to play games like pool and billiards.
- Queue is mainly used in British English and means the same as “line” in American English.
- Cue and queue are pronounced in the same way (i.e., they are homophones).
- Queue is also frequently used as a verb.
| Cue in a sentence | Queue in a sentence |
|---|---|
| The sound of the gunshot is your cue to come on stage. | There was a long queue at the checkout. |
| She gave him a quick nod as a cue to begin serving the coffee to the guests. | How long was the queue for the rollercoaster? |
| His resignation was a cue for intense speculation about the company’s future. | We had to queue for almost half an hour to check in to the hotel. |
Queue meaning
The most common meaning of the noun queue is “a line of people or vehicles waiting for something,” but it is also used in technical contexts to refer to items waiting to be processed (e.g., a computer operating system holds print jobs in a “print queue” until the printer is ready to receive them).
The phrasal verb queue up is often used synonymously with the verb queue to mean “stand in line.” However, “queue up” is the preferred choice when used figuratively to describe a situation where there is a lot of competition for a particular opportunity (e.g., “Top companies will be queuing up to hire her”).
Queue frequently combines with the prepositions “for,” “in,” and “of.”
Was there a long queue for tickets?
I was in the queue for over an hour.
There was a long queue of cars at the gas station.
Cue meaning
A cue is a signal that communicates something should happen (e.g., in a stage play or musical performance) or conveys a message, but it can also mean a “hint” or a stick used to strike a ball in games like pool.
Salespeople use nonverbal cues such as gestures to build rapport.
She raised her eyebrows as a cue for him to stop talking.
Tim wanted a pool cue for his birthday.
There are several idiomatic expressions and phrasal verbs that include the word “cue.”
| Example in a sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|
| The fire alarm went off just as I was about to start my presentation—right on cue! | If something happens on cue, it happens exactly when it should or at a good time. It is often used ironically. |
| Many of the themes of his paintings take their cue from ancient legends. | If something takes its cue from something else, it takes inspiration from it or follows it as an example. |
| I’ll cue you in by closing my book. | To cue in means to “give a cue.” |
| All the music is cued up, ready to go. | To cue something up means to prepare a task (such as playing music or a video clip) by arranging it in the correct order and completing the necessary technical steps. |
In the queue
You can say that something is in the queue if it has a position in a sequence of tasks waiting to be completed. Similarly, a person is “in the queue” if their task is waiting to be completed.
Tell the client that they’re in the queue, but we won’t be able to start their job until Friday.
Line vs queue
In American English a line of people waiting for something is usually called a line, whereas in British English it is normally called a queue. The verb “queue” is often used in British to mean “stand/wait in line.”
| American English | British English |
|---|---|
| There was a long line for the bus. | There was a long queue for the bus. |
| We had to stand in line for ages to see the movie. | We had to queue (up) for ages to see the film. |
Frequently asked questions about cue vs queue
- Is it cue the music or queue the music?
-
In the phrase cue the music, “cue” (not “queue”) is the correct spelling.
You say “cue the music” to instruct someone to start playing music at a specific point in a stage performance (e.g., a play) or a live broadcast (e.g., a radio show) or to add music to video or film at a specific point (e.g., “We should cue the music here when she opens the curtains”).
When deciding if cue or queue is the correct spelling for a particular context, it’s important to make the right choice because the two words have different meanings.
Use QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker to help you use commonly confused words such as cue and queue correctly in your writing.
- What does que mean?
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Que is a common misspelling of the words “queue” and “cue.”
It’s important to make the right choice when deciding if cue or queue is the correct word for a specific context because they have different meanings.
Que is also an abbreviation for the Canadian province Quebec.
Why not use QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker to help you pick up typos such as “que” instead of “queue” in your writing.
- Is it on cue or on queue?
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In the phrase on cue, “cue” (not “queue”) is the correct spelling.
If something happens “on cue,” it happens precisely when expected or at a favorable time. People often use it ironically to mean “just my luck that that should happen at that particular time” (e.g., “And as if on cue, it started to rain just as I left my apartment”).
It’s important to choose the right word when deciding whether cue or queue is correct because they have different meanings.
Why not try out QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker to help you avoid errors with commonly confused words such as “cue” and “queue”?
- Is it cues or ques?
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Ques is not a word (but is sometimes used as an abbreviation for the word “question”). Cues is the plural of the noun “cue” (e.g., “Visual cues of nervousness include fidgeting and avoiding eye contact” or “Do you sell pool cues?”).
The plural of the noun “queue” is “queues” (e.g., “There are always queues at the checkouts).
Making the right choice when deciding if cue or queue is the word you want is important because they have different meanings.
“Cues” is also the third-person singular form of the verb “cue” (e.g., “The sound engineer cues the music”).
Similarly, “queues” is the third-person singular form of the verb “queue” (e.g., “Sometimes she queues up for hours”).
Why not try out QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker? It will help you pick up errors in the spelling of tricky words such as “queue” and “cue.”
