Tablespoon

A tablespoon (tbsp., Tbsp., Tb., or T.) is a large spoon. In many English-speaking regions, the term now refers to a large spoon used for serving; however, in some regions, it is the largest type of spoon used for eating.

By extension, the term is also used as a cooking measure of volume. In this capacity, it is most commonly abbreviated tbsp. or Tbsp. and occasionally referred to as a tablespoonful to distinguish it from the utensil. The unit of measurement varies by region: a United States liquid tablespoon is approximately 14.8 mL (exactly 1⁄2 US fluid ounce; about 0.52 imperial fluid ounce), a British tablespoon is approximately 14.2 mL (exactly 1⁄2 imperial fluid ounce; about 0.48 US fluid ounce), an international metric tablespoon is exactly 15 mL (about 0.53 imperial fluid ounce or 0.51 US fluid ounce), and an Australian metric tablespoon is 20 mL (about 0.7 imperial fluid ounce or 0.68 US fluid ounce). The capacity of the utensil (as opposed to the measurement) is defined by neither law nor custom but only by preferences, and may or may not significantly approximate the measurement.