Cue vs. Queue

The main difference between the words cue and queue is that the word cue refers to a signal which encourages to take action, whereas the word queue indicates an ordered line or file.

Key Differences

The pronunciation of cue is like the letter Q, while the pronunciation of the letter queue is also as the letter Q.

As a verb, a cue is the signaling of something or someone. The act of striking ball in a billiard game is also a cue; on the other hand, queue holds the meaning of lining something up or the formation of a symmetric line as a verb.

The word cue is also used in live theater to refer to a sign that is given to actors. Inversely the word queue is used among video streaming services. The users add movies and TV shows to their watch list, and this is what we call online queues.

As a noun, a cue is any piece of sporting equipment, or a signal on the contrary queue is the lining of people or other living or nonliving things as a noun, and the braid of hair.

Aimie Carlson

Feb 22, 2020

Cue refers to a signal which encourages a person to take some action, whereas queue refers to any line or file in a specific order.

Cue also refers to the signal that is for the beginning of something on the flip side queue refers to a line in symmetry or the formation of a line.

The word cue contains only three letters; conversely, the word queue is composed of five letters.

The word cue comes from the Latin “Quando,” which means “when” on the other hand, the word queue comes from a Latin word meaning "tail."

Comparison Chart

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A signal which encourages a person to take some action

Any line or file in a specific order, the formation of a line

Parts of Speech

Noun, verb

Meaning as Noun

Any piece of sporting equipment or a signal

The lining of people or other living or non-living things

Meaning as a Verb

Signaling of something or someone/the act of striking ball in a billiards game

Lining something up/the formation of a symmetric line

Aimie Carlson

Feb 22, 2020

Origin

Latin “Quando,” which means “when.”

A Latin word, which means "tail."

Samantha Walker

Feb 22, 2020

Number of Alphabets

Three

Five

Pronunciation

As the letter “Q.”

Cue and Queue Definitions

Cue

A long tapered stick with a leather tip used to strike the cue ball in billiards and pool.

Queue

A line of waiting people or vehicles.

Cue

A long stick with a concave attachment at one end for shoving disks in shuffleboard.

Queue

A sequence of stored data or programs awaiting processing.

Cue

(Nonstandard) Variant of queue.

Queue

A data structure from which the first item that can be retrieved is the one stored earliest.

Cue

A signal, such as a word or action, used to prompt another event in a performance, such as an actor's speech or entrance, a change in lighting, or a sound effect.

Queue

A long braid of hair worn hanging down the back of the neck; a pigtail.

Cue

A reminder or prompting.

Queue

To get in line

Queue up at the box office.

Cue

A hint or suggestion.

Queue

To place in a sequence

Queued the queries in order of relevance.

Cue

An extract from the music for another part printed, usually in smaller notes, within a performer's part as a signal to enter after a long rest.

Queue

To braid or twist (hair) into a queue.

Cue

A gesture by a conductor signaling the entrance of a performer or part.

Queue

A line of people, vehicles or other objects, in which one at the front end is dealt with first, the one behind is dealt with next, and so on, and which newcomers join at the opposite end (the back).

Cue

(Psychology) A stimulus, either consciously or unconsciously perceived, that elicits or signals a type of behavior.

Queue

A waiting list or other means of organizing people or objects into a first-come-first-served order.

Cue

(Archaic) One's assigned role or function.

Queue

(computing) A data structure in which objects are added to one end, called the tail, and removed from the other, called the head (in the case of a FIFO queue). The term can also refer to a LIFO queue or stack where these ends coincide.

Cue

(Archaic) A mood; a disposition.

Queue

(heraldry) An animal's tail.

Cue

The letter q.

Queue

A men's hairstyle with a braid or ponytail at the back of the head, such as that worn by men in Imperial China.

Cue

(Games) To strike (a ball) with a cue.

Queue

(intransitive) To put oneself or itself at the end of a waiting line.

Cue

(Nonstandard) Variant of queue.

Queue

(intransitive) To arrange themselves into a physical waiting queue.

Cue

To give a cue to; signal or prompt.

Queue

To add to a queue data structure.

Cue

To insert into the sequence of a performance

Cued the lights for the monologue scene.

Queue

To fasten the hair into a queue.

Cue

To position (an audio or video recording) in readiness for playing

Cue up a record on the turntable.

Queue

A tail-like appendage of hair; a pigtail.

Cue

A small portion of bread or beer; the quantity bought with a farthing or half farthing and noted with a q (for farthing) in the buttery books.

Queue

To fasten, as hair, in a queue.

Cue

An action or event that is a signal for somebody to do something.

Queue

A line of people or vehicles waiting for something

Cue

The last words of a play actor's speech, serving as an intimation for the next actor to speak; any word or words which serve to remind an actor to speak or to do something; a catchword.

Queue

(information processing) an ordered list of tasks to be performed or messages to be transmitted

Cue

A marker or signal that triggers something, such as the start of an audio recording.

Queue

A braid of hair at the back of the head

Cue

A hint or intimation.

Queue

Form a queue, form a line, stand in line;

Customers lined up in front of the store

Cue

(obsolete) Humour; temper of mind.

Cue

A straight tapering stick used to hit the balls in various games.

Cue

(obsolete) The tail; the end of a thing; especially, a tail-like twist of hair worn at the back of the head; a queue.

Cue

To give someone a cue signal.

Cue the cameraman, and action!

Cue

To spark or provoke.

Cue

To take aim on the cue ball with the cue and hit it.

Cue

To form into a cue; to braid; to twist.

Cue

The tail; the end of a thing; especially, a tail-like twist of hair worn at the back of the head; a queue.

Cue

The last words of a play actor's speech, serving as an intimation for the next succeeding player to speak; any word or words which serve to remind a player to speak or to do something; a catchword.

When my cue comes, call me, and I will answer.

Cue

A hint or intimation.

Give them [the servants] their cue to attend in two lines as he leaves the house.

Cue

The part one has to perform in, or as in, a play.

Were it my cueto fight, I should have known itWithout a prompter.

Cue

Humor; temper of mind.

Cue

A straight tapering rod used to impel the balls in playing billiards.

Cue

A small portion of bread or beer; the quantity bought with a farthing or half farthing.

Hast thou wornGowns in the university, tossed logic,Sucked philosophy, eat cues?

Cue

To form into a cue; to braid; to twist.

Cue

An actor's line that immediately precedes and serves as a reminder for some action or speech

Cue

Evidence that helps to solve a problem

Cue

A stimulus that provides information about what to do

Cue

Sports implement consisting of a tapering rod used to strike a cue ball in pool or billiards

Cue

Assist (somebody acting or reciting) by suggesting the next words of something forgotten or imperfectly learned

Cue vs. Queue

Cue and queue are the two words with the same pronunciation but different meanings. cue refers to a signal which encourages to take action. The word queue indicates an ordered line or file. The word cue comes from the Latin “Quando,” which means “when.” The word queue id derived from a Latin word that means “tail.”

The pronunciation of cue and queue is like the letter Q. Cue and queue are homophones of each other. There is a trick to differentiate between cue and queue. The word cue contains only three letters. The word queue is composed of five letters. Cue refers to billiards games. Besides, cue also refers to the signal that is for the beginning of something. Queue refers to a line in symmetry or the formation of a line.”

As a noun, the cue is any piece of sporting equipment or a signal. As a noun, the queue is the lining of people/other living or non-living things. It is also a braid of hair as a noun. As a verb, a cue is the signaling of something or someone. The act of striking a ball in a billiard game is also a cue. As a verb, queue holds the meaning of lining something up or the formation of a symmetric line.

Also, cue and queue have some unusual meanings too. The word cue is used in live theater to refer to a sign that is given to actors. This cue reminds the actors to say or do something onstage. The word queue is used in the service of video streaming. The users add movies and TV shows to their watch list, and this is what we call online queues.

What is Cue?

The word cue is a verb as well as a noun. As a verb, a cue is the signaling of something or someone. The act of striking a ball in a billiard game is also a cue. As a noun, the cue is any piece of sporting equipment or a signal. In general, cue refers to a signal which encourages a person to take some action. It refers to an outside stimulus or signal that results in a specific action.

Another use of the word cue is in the context of film, TV, and theatres, where it refers to a sign that is given to actors. This cue reminds the actors to say or do something onstage. Cues are given to actors mostly in the form of cue cards. The example of the cue is in a sentence is, “It was as a cue to him, seeming to rouse him to do what he would never have dreamed of.” (“Call of the Wild” by Jack London).

The word cue is also used in the context of sports. It also directs the stick used to hit the ball or puck in different games. These games include billiards, pool, shuffleboard, etc. The cue as a prompt comes from the use of Q (letter) in the 16^th and 17^th centuries. It was used as an abbreviation for the Latin word “Quando,” which has the meaning “when.”

Cue has many meanings as a verb. It means to give a cue to or for anything or someone. It also means “to set a piece of audio/ video equipment to play (any specific part of something recorded). Cue also refers to the use of a cue to strike the puck or ball in many games. The letters this word cue contains are only three. The origin of the word cue dates back to the mid-18th century. It derives from a Latin word denoting a long plait or pigtail.

There are also idioms containing the word cue. It means that cue is used in figurative meaning also. An example of such idiom is “right on cue.” This idiom means that any event, arrival, etc. has occurred at its proper time. Another idiomatic use of cue is “take a cue.” It means to respond to a prompt or suggestion accurately.

Examples

There was a small pause before Mr. Thomas cued up the next tape.
The actor asks before performing to cue him when the music is about to start so that he can turn on his mic.
Choose a cue before playing the game. Remember one thing that you will be over if you hit the cue into the wrong pocket.

What is a Queue?

The word queue is a noun as well as a verb. As a noun, a queue is the lining of people or other living or nonliving things. As a verb, queue holds the meaning of lining something up or the formation of a symmetric line. Queue refers to any line or file in a specific order. Queue refers to a line in symmetry or the formation of a line.” The word queue is composed of five letters. It is the most redundant word in the English language composed of 80% unnecessary spelling.

The word queue is used among services such as video streaming. The users add movies and TV shows to their watch list, and this is what we call online queues. The origination of the word queue dates back to the late 16th century. It is derived from French, based on Latin word ‘cauda’ meaning ‘tail.’ It is used as a heraldic term that denotes the tail of an animal.

In general, there are many meanings of the word queue. It is a line of people waiting or for any other purpose. As a noun, a queue is also a hair braid like a pigtail. In terms of computing, queue refers to a list of items in a file. The noun queue is more common in British English. In British English, it refers to a sequence of items. This sequence of the item can be a line of people or anything else. The queue has its use in certain phrases, too, such as “queue up.” It holds the meaning of starting or joining a line.

The word queue also has an idiomatic use in British English. There is an idiom with a queue “jump the queue.” This idiom means two things. One is that you are pushing your way ahead of others waiting for their turn in line and other that you are using status/power to get an unfair advantage.

Examples

There was a queue of spectators outside the circus marquee.
The flood refugees were queued for food outside the camp.
“There is not any queue at the gate of Patience.”

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