teaspoon

American  

[tee-spoon] / ˈtiˌspun /

noun

• teaspoons
  plural

1. a small spoon generally used to stir tea, coffee, etc.

2. a teaspoonful.

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teaspoon British  

/ ˈtiːˌspuːn /

noun

1. a small spoon used for stirring tea, eating certain desserts, etc

2. Also called: teaspoonful.  the amount contained in such a spoon

3. a unit of capacity used in cooking, medicine, etc, equal to about one fluid dram

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• teaspoons
  plural

Etymology

Origin of teaspoon

First recorded in 1680–90; tea + spoon

Compare meaning

How does teaspoon compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• teaspoon vs. tablespoon

Explanation

In cooking, a teaspoon is a small unit of measurement, as well as the name of the utensil you use to measure it. If you like your tea slightly sweet, you might add just a teaspoon of sugar to it. You can also call a small spoon used for stirring coffee or tea a teaspoon. When you're making a recipe, it's good to know that a teaspoon is equal to one-third of a tablespoon, or five milliliters. The word teaspoon dates from the 1680s.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

teaspoon teaspoons

At home, I keep it rustic and dollop generous mounds of meringue onto lined baking trays, then use the back of a teaspoon to shape them.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 27, 2026

The researchers worked with a small amount of Bennu material, about the size of a teaspoon.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 12, 2026

For a sore throat, drinking plenty of fluids and having a teaspoon of honey may help, the NHS says.

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2025

But as an observer once described it, we’ve been managing rather than solving the crisis and essentially bailing a leaky boat with a teaspoon.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2025

‘Meanwhile, I want to ask you to do something,’ said the wise man, handing the boy a teaspoon that held two drops of oil.

From "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho

For every can of beans, start with about 3 to 4 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 to 2 teaspoons of lemon juice or vinegar, plus your aromatics, herbs and spices.

From Salon ● Jun. 16, 2026

The new pyramid says that one meal should contain no more than 10 grams of added sugars, or about 2 teaspoons.

From MarketWatch ● Jan. 7, 2026

If you do not have self-rising flour, add 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt to 1 cup of AP flour.

From Salon ● Mar. 14, 2025

If they are over a year old, you can give them two teaspoons of honey up to six times, but do not delay going to the hospital to get honey.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 29, 2024

He combed through her cookbooks every afternoon, following her penciled instructions to use two teaspoons of ground coriander seeds instead of one, or red lentils instead of yellow.

From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri