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“Tongue” or “Tung”

tongue / tung 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.

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Definitions

What each term means

Same sound, different spellings and meanings, shown with a pronunciation guide for each term.

tongue t·AH·ng

  • nouna mobile mass of muscular tissue covered with mucous membrane and located in the oral cavity.
  • nounany long thin projection that is transient.
  • nouna manner of speaking.
  • nounthe tongue of certain animals used as meat.
  • nounthe flap of material under the laces of a shoe or boot.
  • verbarticulate by tonguing, as when playing wind instruments.
  • verblick or explore with the tongue.

tung t·AH·ng

No dictionary entry for this spelling — see the usage examples below for how it shows up in writing.

Usage

Examples in context

Real sentences for each spelling. Hover an example to copy it.

“tongue”

  • …Beat)Ruth, Roses and Revolvers, (2010, Tongue Master)
  • He made much of the tongue and explained how it functioned.
  • …Low German, as their mother tongue, also prevailing in Holstein.
  • …that "both works were written tongue in cheek, with a high…
  • …the upper surface of the tongue and the epiglottis.
  • …was writing his first novel, Tongue International, a satirical fantasy about…
  • Tongue of Knowledge.
  • …of a cancer of the tongue and the pharynx from which…
  • …him to write in mother tongue Pashto because he could not…
  • …one, Tatsuro, cut off his tongue with a kitchen knife on…

“tung”

  • …Hong Kong by chief executive Tung Chee Hwa in July 2002.
  • …for which they are responsible," Tung said
  • …as the "85,000 Housing Reform", Tung introduced POAS in 2002 to…
  • …in the governance of the Tung administration, with no significant improvements…
  • On 24 June 2002, Tung announced the composition of his…
  • Tung Chee Hwa defended Leung's integrity,…
  • The proposals raised concerns that Tung was moving the system towards…
  • Tung Wah Group of Hospitals Wong…
  • The changes were introduced by Tung at the beginning of his…
  • Tung Wah Group of Hospitals Wong…

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

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