“Cue” or “Queue”—Which to use?

“Cue” or “Queue”

Overview

cue / queue are similar-sounding terms with different meanings (referred to as homophones). To better understand the differences, see below for definitions, pronunciation guides, and example sentences using each term. 👇

Definitions

cue: (noun) an actor's line that immediately precedes and serves as a reminder for some action or speech. (noun) sports implement consisting of a tapering rod used to strike a cue ball in pool or billiards.

queue: (noun) a line of people or vehicles waiting for something. (noun) (information processing) an ordered list of tasks to be performed or messages to be transmitted. (noun) a braid of hair at the back of the head.

Pronunciation

cue: k·y·UW

queue: k·y·UW

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Examples in Context

Examples of “cue”

…card always showed up on cue, but Sonos' controls appeared inconsistently…
1897 Billiards cue chalk
…’80s-style synth-pop, and chipper post/disco-punk (cue the hi-hats).
…spent “a fortune” to get CUE in shape.
Cue chalk is a calcite or…
In 1975 Borowsky purchased CUE, the beloved magazine of New…
…used in one episode to cue Richie's romantic involvements.
Cue tip chalk was co-invented in…
"Boogie Woogie Cue" / "Give It Up", #168
…and electronica/noise label and shop "C.U.E.

Examples of “queue”

…example, the signature for a queue data structure might be:
Prisoners had to queue in front of dirty community…
…repair of failures: when a queue hits the empty state, representing…
…will generally be called a queue or FIFO.
…"élanion naucler" and "naucler à queue fourchue".
type 'a queue
signature QUEUE =
…may think of a priority queue as a list that always…
Ticket holders queue parallel to the sideshow stage.
…moving other customers from some queue to another.

(Examples are Wikipedia snippets under the CC ShareAlike 3.0 license. Definitions drawn from WordNet.)

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