Which to use
“queer” is an adjective and “queue” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #30,251
- “queer” frequency rank
- #49,182
- “queue” frequency rank
- 79433
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | queer | queue |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | eine nicht-heterosexuelle sexuelle Orientierung und/oder eine nicht-binäre und/oder transgeschlechtliche Geschlechtsidentität aufweisend oder sich darauf beziehend (meist als Ausdruck bewusster Abgrenzung zu einer empfundenen heterosexuellen und binär-cisgeschlechtlichen gesellschaftlichen Norm) | ein Anhang am Ende des Körpers von Wirbeltieren |
Where the eye mixes queer and queue
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between queer and queue
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: queer is [kviːɐ̯] while queue is [kø]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 79433, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
queer is recorded at frequency rank #30,251, classified as anadj, pronounced [kviːɐ̯]. queue is at rank #49,182, tagged as anoun, pronounced [kø].
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 79433, this pair ranks #216,591 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of queer vs queue
Shared letters: equ. Private to "queer": r. Private to "queue": -.
"queer" · 5 letters · shape CVVVC · "queue" · 5 letters · shape CVVVV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "queer" for "queue" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "queer" or "queue" show up more?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "queer" and "queue" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "queer" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "queue" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #216,591 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "queer" and "queue" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "queren vs queue". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #216,591 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.