Lingual abscess seems to be a rare clinical entity and is a potentially life-threatening infection. It may result in airway compromise and disseminated infections to other regions especially to the brain. Thus, a diagnosis of tongue abscess should be considered in all cases of acute tongue swelling. Lingual abscess requires prompt diagnosis and aggressive management as they are associated with potentially fatal complications. We hereby report two cases of lingual abscess occurring in a 39 years old man and an 8 years old girl who presented with painful swelling over the tongue. Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) was effective in arriving at the diagnosis followed by histopathological confirmation.