It is a member of the Northern Luzon subfamily and is closely related to the Bontoc and Kankanaey languages.

[2] It is a dialect continuum, and its four main varieties—such as Tuwali—are sometimes considered separate languages.

[3] Loanwords from other languages, such as Ilokano, are replacing some older terminology.

[4] Ethnologue reports the following locations for each of the four Ifugao languages.

The letters are pronounced differently depending on the dialect of the speaker.