Bumps on Back of Tongue: What Is Normal and When to Get Checked

Near the back of the tongue, roughly a row of seven to twelve large, round bumps forms an upside-down V pointing toward the throat. These are the circumvallate papillae, which carry taste buds. Behind them, the surface may look uneven because the lingual tonsil, a patch of ordinary immune tissue, lies there.

Both are present from birth and usually only get noticed when someone looks into the mouth with a torch or phone camera. Seeing a symmetrical set of bumps on both sides is a good sign that this is normal anatomy.

The bumps can swell and look red or whitish with a cold, sore throat, allergy, reflux, smoking, very hot or spicy food, or simple irritation from repeated poking and scraping. Scraping too hard at the back of the tongue is a common reason. Easier, lighter cleaning is better, as our tongue scraper guide explains.

A single sore bump can be a lie bump, described in the guide on pimple on the tongue, and it clears in days. Small yellowish dots that do not hurt elsewhere in the mouth are usually Fordyce granules, covered in our guide on Fordyce granules.

See a dentist or doctor if the bump is on one side only, is hard, grows, bleeds, hurts persistently, has an ulcer on it, or has lasted more than three weeks. Pain in the ear on one side, hoarseness, a lump in the neck or difficulty swallowing alongside a bump also calls for prompt examination. The back of the tongue is hard to see, so a cancer there can go unnoticed, particularly with tobacco, gutkha or paan.

Our mouth ulcers page sets out the three-week rule. If the bump comes with a fever, spreading swelling, or trouble swallowing or breathing, seek same-day care, and a hospital emergency department if swallowing or breathing is affected.