Spell Bee Word: queue

Basic Details

Word: Queue

Part of Speech: Noun

Meaning: A line of people or vehicles waiting for their turn.

Synonyms: line, row, file

Sounds like: cue (a signal for someone to start, or the long stick used in snooker)

How to Spell Queue

Syllables: queue

Tricky part: It sounds just like the letter q, but four vowels follow the q, u-e-u-e, and students cut them short to que or queu.

Watch out for: queu, qeue, quewe

Memory tip: The letters themselves stand in a queue: q at the front, then u-e and u-e again, waiting in line behind it.

Usage Examples

Example 1: We stood in a long queue outside the railway ticket counter.

Example 2: Please join the queue and wait for your turn at the water cooler.

Example 3: There was a queue of cars at the petrol pump before the festival.

Fun Fact

Queue comes from a French word for a tail, and in English it once also meant a long plait of hair hanging down the back.

Practise the CREST Way

Word Connection

Choose the synonym of the word: queue

a) line
b) gap
c) crowd
d) mob

Word Cookie

Find the misspelt word in the sentence:

The children stood in a neat queu outside the school canteen at lunch break.

a) canteen
b) children
c) queu
d) neat

Spell-o-Spell

Choose the correctly spelt word:

a) sargeant
b) liesure
c) queue
d) colleage

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Where are you most likely to see a queue?

a) under the sea
b) on a mountain top
c) inside an empty room
d) at a ticket window

2. To jump the queue means to ____.

a) wait patiently
b) count the people in line
c) leave the line politely
d) go ahead of people waiting before you