spoonful

Everyday

1. A spoonful is the amount a spoon holds. tree →
2. It is used as a rough measure in cooking and medicine, like a spoonful of sugar. tree →

In the lessons

In cooking and science, recipes and experiments use spoonfuls to measure: a teaspoon (small) or tablespoon (bigger). In health, medicine is often measured in spoonfuls, and an adult must give the right amount. Phrases: «a spoonful of», «heaped spoonful», «level spoonful».

Examples

• Add a spoonful of sugar to the tea. tree →
• Take one spoonful of medicine after dinner. tree →
• She ate the yoghurt one spoonful at a time. tree →
• Mix two spoonfuls of flour with water. tree →
• A heaped spoonful has more than a level spoonful. tree →
• The baby took one spoonful and spat it out. tree →
• If each cup needs 3 spoonfuls of cocoa, 4 cups need 12 spoonfuls. tree →
• The witch took a spoonful and tasted it. tree →

Note

Countable noun; the plural is usually «spoonfuls» («spoonsful» is old and rare). Spelled with one l at the end: «-ful». In maths, spoonfuls are units: multiply spoonfuls per item by the number of items. Medicine must be measured with the proper spoon, not a guess.