A 41-year-old patient presented with a sore tip of the tongue. The anterior side of the tongue had a red appearance showing a number of pronounced fungiform papillae and there were tooth impressions on the lateral sides of the tongue. This clinical picture is consistent with transient lingual papillitis. It has an unknown etiology. Local irritation might be a contributing factor. Transient lingual papillitis regresses spontaneously within a few weeks. Chronic lingual papulosis is a variant and shows enlarged filiform papillae; it can persist for years and is rarely painful. The cause of chronic lingual papulosis is similarly often unclear. Both conditions are very common, but often not recognized.