Speaker

que vs queue

Loco

que vs queue

  • What they are
    • que (no accent): Spanish word used as a conjunction or relative pronoun. It means "that," "which," or "that/which" in clauses, and "qué" (with accent) means "what" in questions.
    • queue: English word meaning a line of people or vehicles, or a sequence/line in computing. Also a verb: to queue up (to line up).
  • Key differences
    • Language: que is Spanish; queue is English.
    • Accent: qué (with accent) is “what” in questions; que (no accent) is “that/which” or a relative pronoun in Spanish.
    • Meaning: que links clauses or introduces a relative clause in Spanish; queue refers to waiting lines or data order in English.
  • Pronunciation
    • que /ke/ (Spanish)
    • Qué /ké/ when used in questions (still /ke/ with emphasis)
    • queue /kjuː/ or /kɪu/ depending on dialect (sounds like “kyoo” or the letter Q)
  • Quick examples
    • Spanish
      • Qué hora es? (What time is it?)
      • El libro que leíste es interesante. (The book that you read is interesting.)
    • English
      • We waited in a long queue at the bakery. (line)
      • Please queue the tasks in FIFO order. (to line up)
  • Tips
    • Watch for accents: qué in Spanish questions always carries an accent.
    • Don’t confuse spelling: queue is unique in English; Spanish uses que (no accent) or qué (accented in questions).
    • In computing, queue refers to a data structure; in everyday English, it often means a line of people.

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