Spade

In gardening, a spade is a tool for digging. It is similar to a shovel. It has a straight handle, usually of wood and a blade, usually of steel.

Two spades for different uses. The left one is for digging in the garden. The right one is for digging underground.

For some purposes the difference between a spade and a shovel is important. For example, spade more easily digs in hard soil; a shovel more easily moves gravel.

In card games a spade is one of the four shapes or "suits" of cards.