queue

\kø\

/\kø\/ noun

The verdict

“queue” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #2,954 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#2,954
frequency rank, French
5
letters
5
tracked misspellings
15
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Appendice postérieur, plus ou moins développé, qui termine la colonne vertébrale d’un très grand nombre de vertébrés.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

queue vs quote
60% similar
queue vs quite
60% similar
queue vs queues
83% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for queue
PropertyValue
Headwordqueue
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\kø\
Letters5
Frequency rank#2,954
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs15
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “queue” sits in French frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). queue lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for queue is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \kø\. Corpus data places it at rank #2,954 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 25 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for queue, with forms such as "qeuue", "qqueue", and "queeu". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 15 confusable-pair relationships, "quote", "quite", "queues", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct French form is queue, spelled Q-U-E-U-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Appendice postérieur, plus ou moins développé, qui termine la colonne vertébrale d’un très grand nombre de vertébrés.
  2. 2
    Plat, mets avec cet organe.
  3. 3
    Grandes plumes qui sortent du croupion des oiseaux et qui leur servent pour se diriger dans l’air.
  4. 4
    Partie qui s’étend du ventre jusqu’à l’extrémité opposée à la tête, chez les poissons, les cétacés, les serpents et quelques insectes.
  5. 5
    Partie mobile d'un animalcule, qui sert à sa locomotion.
  6. 6
    Choses qui ont quelque rapport (de ressemblance ou de position) avec cet appendice :
  7. 7
    Se dit des cheveux à l’arrière de la tête, lorsqu’ils sont attachés ensemble près du crâne.
  8. 8
    Se dit des cheveux à l’arrière de la tête, lorsqu’ils sont attachés ensemble près du crâne.
  9. 9
    Canne, flèche ou tige avec laquelle le joueur pousse les billes.
  10. 10
    Pénis, sexe de l’homme.
  11. 11
    Le trait qui part du corps d’une note et monte ou descend, perpendiculairement aux lignes de la portée.
  12. 12
    Ce qui dépasse par en bas du corps de certaines lettres (« g, j, p, q, y ») ou certain chiffre (« 9 »).
  13. 13
    Extrémité d’une pierre longue, entrant dans la construction d’un mur ou d’une voûte.
  14. 14
    Longue traînée lumineuse qui accompagne la tête d’une comète.
  15. 15
    Partie arrière du fuselage, et plus particulièrement l’empennage.
  16. 16
    Languette.
  17. 17
    Pétiole ou pédoncule des fleurs, feuilles ou fruits, qui les relie à la plante.
  18. 18
    Tige des fleurs cueillies.
  19. 19
    Fin, bout d’une chose.
  20. 20
    Traîne d’une robe.
  21. 21
    Dernière partie les derniers rangs d’une file, d’un cortège, d’une compagnie, d’un corps.
  22. 22
    Dernier ou plus médiocre élément de quelque chose.
  23. 23
    Rang, alignement, file d’attente.
  24. 24
    Au piquet et autres jeux de cartes, somme indépendante de l’enjeu principal.
  25. 25
    Nom donné à la partie ou à la tranche inférieure d’un volume ; tranche de queue.

Synonyms

Antonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: qeuue,qqueue,queeu,quuee,uqeue

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of queue - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

qeuue2qqueue1queeu2quuee2uqeue2
Edit distance from "queue"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "queue"?
"queue" is spelled Q-U-E-U-E. The IPA pronunciation is \kø\.
What does "queue" mean?
As a noun, "queue" means: Appendice postérieur, plus ou moins développé, qui termine la colonne vertébrale d’un très grand nombre de vertébrés.
What words are commonly confused with "queue"?
"queue" is commonly confused with "quote", "quite", "queues". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "queue"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "queue" is \kø\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "queue" come from?
"queue" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “queue”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct French spelling is Q-U-E-U-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \kø\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “quote” - see the side-by-side comparison. queue vs quote
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list