After 30 years of experience comprising more than 3000 suspension laryngoscopies, we are putting forward a classification of the main benign lesions of the vocal cords. Among the acquired group, we make a distinction between those caused by vocal overuse and abuse and those with a cause within the vocal cord. Congenital lesions are certainly more common than is usually thought. The hypothesis of a congenital origin would certainly justify a larger prospective study.