Splade vs. Spork

Main Difference

The main difference between Splade and Spork is that the Splade is a eating utensil combining the functions of spoon, knife and fork and Spork is a hybrid form of cutlery taking the form of a spoon-like shallow scoop with three or four fork.

• Splade

  A Splayd (plural ‘Splayds’) is an eating utensil combining the functions of spoon, knife and fork. It was created by William McArthur in the 1940s in Sydney, Australia. It is similar to the American spork. There are several manufacturers.

  In addition to an overall spoon shape with four fork tines, it has two hard, flat edges on either side, suitable for cutting through soft food. They often have a geometric rather than rounded bowl, with two longitudinal folds in the metal.

  They are often used for eating chopped foods like rice-based curries, in place of a chopsticks or knife and fork.

  The UK licensee for the manufacturing and distribution of “Splayds” during the 1970s was Viners of Sheffield. At that time they were one of the biggest cutlery manufacturers in Great Britain.

• Spork

  A spork (a portmanteau of spoon and fork), is a hybrid form of cutlery taking the form of a spoon-like shallow scoop with two to four fork tines. Spork-like utensils, such as the terrapin fork or ice cream fork, have been manufactured since the late 19th century; patents for spork-like designs date back to at least 1874, and the word “spork” was registered as a trademark in the US and the UK decades later. They are used by fast food restaurants, schools, prisons, the military, backpackers and in airline meals.

  The word spork combines spoon and fork. It appeared in the 1909 supplement to the Century Dictionary, where it was described as a trade name and “a ‘portmanteau-word’ applied to a long, slender spoon having, at the end of the bowl, projections resembling the tines of a fork”.

• Spork (noun)

  a spoon-shaped eating utensil with short tines at the tip.