Shovel or Scoop? What’s the difference?

My wife and I were working in our garden on Saturday when we got into a discussion about shovels and scoops. What’s the difference between them? Then we realized that in Japanese, people use the katakana version of the English words, but the meaning is opposite between Kansai and Kanto. Remember, wasei-eigo is not always correct. That is why it is called wasei-eigo. So that’s why many Japanese students are confused!!!!!

Well, let me set the record straight.

The main difference between a shovel and a scoop is the sides.

This is a shovel.

It has a long handle and shallow sides and is used for moving large amounts of something, such as snow or dirt. It is used with two hands.

This is a gardening shovel.

A gardening shovel has a short handle and very low sides and is used for gardening. It is used with only one hand.

These are scoops.

They have short handles and high sides. It can be used with only one hand. It is used for measuring the amount of something.

For example, in North America, there is a very popular breakfast cereal called Kellogg’s Raisin Bran. The catchphrase is ‘two scoops of raisins in a package of Kellogg’s Raisin Bran.’ Notice the words ‘Two Scoops’ on the box (measuring the number of raisins in every box). Also, notice that the sun illustration is holding, yes, you guessed it, Two Scoops of raisins.

Remember, if it has low sides, it is a shovel. If it has high sides, it is a scoop.

Flesch-Kincaid Readability Test

This post is understandable by someone with at least a 7th-grade education (age 12).

On the Flesch-Kincaid reading-ease test, this post scores 74.

The easier a passage is to read, the higher the score on a scale of 0 – 100.