cucharilla

Spanish

Etymology

From cuchara +‎ -illa.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /kut͡ʃaˈɾiʝa/ [ku.t͡ʃaˈɾi.ʝa]

• IPA^(key): /kut͡ʃaˈɾiʝa/ [ku.t͡ʃaˈɾi.ʝa] (Equatorial Guinea, most of Latin America and Spain)
• IPA^(key): /kut͡ʃaˈɾiʎa/ [ku.t͡ʃaˈɾi.ʎa] (Andes Mountains, rustic northern Spain, Paraguay, Philippines)
• IPA^(key): /kut͡ʃaˈɾiʃa/ [ku.t͡ʃaˈɾi.ʃa] (Buenos Aires and environs)
• IPA^(key): /kut͡ʃaˈɾiʒa/ [ku.t͡ʃaˈɾi.ʒa] (elsewhere in Argentina and Uruguay)

 

• Rhymes: -iʝa

• Rhymes: -iʝa (Equatorial Guinea, most of Latin America and Spain)
• Rhymes: -iʎa (Andes Mountains, rustic northern Spain, Paraguay, Philippines)
• Rhymes: -iʃa (Buenos Aires and environs)
• Rhymes: -iʒa (elsewhere in Argentina and Uruguay)

• Syllabification: cu‧cha‧ri‧lla

Noun

cucharilla f (plural cucharillas)

1. diminutive of cuchara

   Synonym: cucharita

2. teaspoon

   Synonym: cucharita

3. great desert spoon (Dasylirion acrotrichum)
4. Andean firebush (Oreocallis grandiflora)
5. mud plantain (Heteranthera)

Usage notes

• The noun cucharilla refers to the teaspoon itself; to refer to its contents, or to the amount that it can contain, the noun cucharadita is used instead.

Further reading

• “cucharilla”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025