Bumps on your tongue: what they usually are

Most tongue bumps are normal papillae or short-lived irritation such as lie bumps. These guides cover bumps by where they appear and what they look like, and the signs that mean a bump should be checked.

• How do I get rid of a canker sore on my tongue?A canker sore on the tongue is a small, shallow ulcer with a white or yellow center and a red border. Most heal on their own within 1 to 2 weeks without...
• Why are there lumps on the back of my tongue?Lumps on the back of the tongue are usually normal anatomy: a V-shaped row of large taste-bud bumps called circumvallate papillae and, behind them, bumpy...
• What are lie bumps on the tongue, and how do I get rid of them?Lie bumps on the tongue are small, painful red or white bumps that appear when one or more papillae (the tiny bumps on top of the tongue) become irritated...
• Why is there a bump or sore on the side of my tongue?A bump or sore on the side of the tongue is most often caused by rubbing or biting: a sharp tooth, a rough filling, a new brace or denture, or an accidental...
• What is this bump under my tongue?A bump under the tongue is most often a blocked or damaged saliva gland (a soft, bluish mucocele or a larger ranula on the floor of the mouth), a salivary...
• Why do I have a pimple on my tongue?A pimple on the tongue is not really a pimple. The tongue has no pores that clog the way skin does, so a white or red "pimple" there is usually a lie bump...
• What causes a blister on the tongue?A blister on the tongue is most often caused by a burn from hot food or drink, a mucus cyst from a blocked saliva gland, or a virus such as herpes simplex...
• Why do I have red bumps on the back of my tongue?Red bumps on the back of the tongue are usually normal papillae or lymphoid tissue that look redder than usual because they are irritated, by hot or spicy...
• What is this bump or sore on the tip of my tongue?Bumps on the tongue tip are most often lie bumps (irritated fungiform papillae), a small burn from a hot drink, or a bite or rub against the front teeth....
• How do I get rid of bumps on my tongue?To get rid of bumps on your tongue, first work out what kind they are. Short-lived bumps such as lie bumps, burns and canker sores heal on their own in a...
• Why are my taste buds enlarged or swollen?Enlarged taste buds are usually papillae, the small bumps that hold your taste buds, that have swollen after irritation from hot drinks, acidic or spicy...
• What is this hard lump on my tongue?A hard lump on the tongue is most often an irritation fibroma, a harmless, firm, smooth bump of scar-like tissue that forms where the tongue is bitten or...