Quick answer
A cue is a signal or prompt — an actor waits for their cue — and also the stick used in snooker. A queue is a line of people waiting, and in computing a structure processed in order. The phrase is "on cue", not "on queue".
The core difference
A prompt and a line.
- cue — a signal: right on cue, take your cue from. Also a snooker cue.
- queue — a waiting line: join the queue, a print queue.
The spelling
Queue is famously the English word with the most silent letters — the "ueue" contributes nothing audible. It comes from French, ultimately from Latin cauda, tail, which is the image: people strung out behind one another.
The transatlantic note
British English says queue; American English generally says line for people, but uses queue in computing without hesitation. So "queue" is universal in tech and regional in daily life.
Frequently asked questions
Is it "on cue" or "on queue"?
On cue — meaning at exactly the right moment, as if signalled.
Why does queue have so many silent letters?
It comes from French, ultimately Latin cauda, tail. The "ueue" contributes nothing audible in English.
Do Americans say queue?
Usually "line" for people waiting, but queue is standard in computing everywhere.
