noun
teaspoon
TEE-spoon
noun
1
A small spoon used for stirring drinks or eating small amounts of food.
"She stirred her tea with a small silver teaspoon."
2
A unit of measurement in cooking, roughly 5 millilitres.
"The recipe calls for a teaspoon of vanilla extract."
How to Use Teaspoon
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishEither the small spoon itself, or the cooking measurement it's based on.
Common mistake
In recipes, a teaspoon (tsp) is much smaller than a tablespoon (tbsp) — mixing them up can ruin a dish.
Easily confused with
tablespoon
Common pairings
a teaspoon of sugar
level teaspoon
Word Forms
teaspooned past tense, teaspoons plural, teaspoons singular
Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.
Test yourself on “teaspoon”
A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage
→
Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
She stirred her tea with a small silver _____.
Etymology
A compound of tea and spoon, named for its original use stirring tea.