Real‐time ultrasonic imaging of the tongue presents a problem in verification of the orientation of the scan, especially when detailed measurements are to be made, or replication of measurements is attempted. Ultrasonically identifiable landmarks may be free to move (e.g., hyoid bone) and thus present an inherently unstable reference. A review and evaluation of various orientation techniques is presented, including (1) use of external facial features for transducer placement, (2) use of ultrasonically distinguishable anatomy, (3) placement of oral markers or probes, (4) adoption of standard speech and speech‐like gestures. [Work supported by NIH.]