When you add -ing to the word glue, you get a choice most people don’t expect: gluing or glueing? Both spellings show up in real writing, which is exactly why the question gets asked.
The short answer: gluing is the standard, widely preferred spelling. Glueing is an accepted variant but is uncommon enough that it can look like a mistake to most readers.
Why Two Spellings Exist
The confusion comes from a genuine tension in English spelling rules.
The general rule for adding -ing to a verb ending in a silent e is to drop the e first:
- make → making
- bake → baking
- ride → riding
By that rule, glue → gluing. Drop the e, add -ing.
But there’s a wrinkle. Some verbs end in -ue, and dropping the e can feel awkward because it leaves a u sitting right before -ing. That discomfort leads some writers to keep the e as a buffer — hence glueing.
The same pattern appears with a few other -ue verbs:
| Base verb | Standard -ing form | Variant |
| glue | gluing | glueing |
| blue (verb) | bluing | blueing |
| true (verb) | truing | trueing |
| queue | queuing | queueing |
Queuing and queueing are probably the most well-known example of this same split — and like gluing/glueing, the shorter form is generally preferred.
What Dictionaries Say
Major dictionaries list gluing as the primary form. Glueing appears as an accepted variant in some references, but it isn’t the headword entry. That tells you something practical: gluing is what editors expect, and glueing is unlikely to cause a grammatical error but may raise an eyebrow.
Does It Matter in Practice?
For most writing — emails, instructions, school work, product descriptions — gluing is the safe, universally accepted choice. Nobody will question it.
Glueing isn’t wrong in the way that, say, gluying would be wrong. It follows a defensible logic. But it’s uncommon enough that readers sometimes pause, wondering if it’s a typo.
If you’re writing for a publication with a house style guide, check whether it addresses -ue verbs. Most major style guides default to the dropped-e form.
Gluing or Glueing in Sentence Examples
Gluing (recommended):
- She spent the afternoon gluing the broken handle back onto the mug.
- The instructions recommend gluing the edges before pressing them together.
- He’s gluing pieces of balsa wood for the model airplane.
Glueing (accepted variant, less common):
- The children were glueing paper shapes onto card.
- He finished glueing the last section just before it dried.
Both sentences above are grammatically correct. The difference is purely one of convention and familiarity.
The Simple Rule to Remember
When a verb ends in silent -ue, drop the e before adding -ing:
glue → gluing
If you ever feel uncertain, that rule covers you every time.
Quick answer: Use gluing. It’s the standard spelling, the one dictionaries lead with, and the one readers expect. Glueing is a legitimate variant, but it’s uncommon enough that gluing is nearly always the better choice.
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It’s Afini, I am the author at Vocab press, a website focused on animal facts with clear visuals and simple guides. I research and share accurate, easy-to-understand information for readers of all ages. My goal is to make learning about animals fun, trustworthy, and simple. I follow fact-based writing and keep content updated, helpful, and people-first. Thank you for reading.
