The tongue is the strongest muscle
The tongue is not the strongest muscle in the human body by any standard measure of muscular strength. Depending on how strength is defined, the masseter (jaw muscle), the glutes, or the heart (in terms of endurance work) are more appropriate candidates. The tongue is most accurately described as the most flexible muscular organ.
What we know
The tongue is a muscular hydrostat, a structure without a bony skeleton that moves through the coordinated action of multiple intrinsic and extrinsic muscle groups. It performs continuous, complex movements for speech, chewing, and swallowing. Its remarkable flexibility and endurance are genuine attributes.
However, muscular strength has multiple definitions, and the tongue does not lead by any of them. If strength means the greatest force exerted in a single contraction, the masseter (the main jaw-closing muscle) generates more force per unit area than almost any other muscle and can close the jaw with 200 pounds of force. The gluteus maximus is the largest muscle by volume and generates great power for locomotion. The heart, while not typically listed in strength comparisons, contracts roughly 3 billion times over a lifetime and pumps around 200 million liters of blood, making it the clear winner for sustained work output.
Scientific American quotes speech scientist Stephen Tasko of Western Michigan University as saying the question of whether the tongue is the strongest muscle is itself 'misinformed' because no definitive measurement allows a straightforward comparison across different muscle types and functions.
The tongue is genuinely impressive for its endurance, flexibility, and functional range, but 'strongest' is not an accurate description.
Common claims
- The tongue is the strongest muscle in the human bodyFalse by any strength measure
- The tongue is the most flexible muscleOften cited and more defensible
- The heart is the hardest-working muscleWell-supported for sustained endurance output