Tablet vs. Pill — What's the Difference?
Edited by Tayyaba Rehman — By Fiza Rafique — Updated on July 12, 2024
Tablet is a solid, flat dose of medication. Pill is a general term for medication in solid form, can be a tablet, capsule, or more.
Difference Between Tablet and Pill
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
A tablet is a specific type of medication form, usually round or oval, designed to be easy to swallow. It is made by compressing powdered medication. A pill is a general term that can refer to any solid form of medication, including tablets, capsules, and more. The term 'pill' is often used colloquially to refer to any small, solid medication.
Tablets are often coated to make them easier to swallow and can have scored lines for splitting. They are a common form of medication due to their stability and precise dosing. Pills, in the broader sense, can come in various shapes and sizes and can include capsules filled with liquid or powder. The term is versatile and encompasses a wide range of medication forms.
The production of a tablet involves the compression of powdered drugs with binders to hold them together. This process results in a compact and portable medication form. Pills, depending on their type, may have different production processes. For instance, capsules involve encasing medication in a gelatin shell, which can be easier for some to swallow.
Comparison Chart
Specificity
Specific type of medication form
General term for solid medication
Shape
Usually round or oval
Can vary, includes capsules
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Composition
Compressed powdered medication
Can include various compositions
Coating
Often coated
Coating varies by type
Production
Compressed in molds
Production varies by type
Compare with Definitions
Tablet
She took a tablet for her headache.
Pill
The pill was small and easy to handle.
Tablet
He split the tablet along the scored line.
Pill
The liquid-filled pill was quickly effective.
Tablet
The doctor prescribed an antibiotic tablet.
Pill
A small pellet or tablet of medicine, often coated, taken by swallowing whole or by chewing.
Tablet
The tablet was easy to swallow due to its coating.
Pill
(Informal) An oral contraceptive. Used with the.
Tablet
The tablet was compact and portable.
Pill
(Slang) Something, such as a baseball, that resembles a pellet of medicine.
Tablet
A slab or plaque, as of stone or ivory, with a surface that is intended for or bears an inscription.
Pill
Something both distasteful and necessary.
Tablet
A thin sheet or leaf, used as a writing surface.
Pill
(Slang) An insipid or ill-natured person.
Tablet
A set of such leaves fastened together, as in a book.
Pill
To dose with pills.
Tablet
A pad of writing paper glued together along one edge.
Pill
To make into pills.
Tablet
A lightweight, portable computer having a touchscreen as the method by which data is input.
Pill
(Slang) To blackball.
Tablet
A small flat pellet of medication to be taken orally.
Pill
To form small balls resembling pills
A sweater that pills.
Tablet
A small flat cake of a prepared substance, such as soap.
Pill
To come off, as in flakes or scales.
Tablet
To inscribe on a tablet.
Pill
To subject to extortion.
Tablet
To form into a tablet.
Pill
A small, usually round or cylindrical object designed for easy swallowing, usually containing some sort of medication.
Tablet
A slab of clay, stone or wood used for inscription.
Pill
(strictly) Such an object that is of solid constitution (usually of compressed, bonded powder) rather than a capsule (with a shell containing loose powder or liquid).
Tablet
(religion) A short scripture written by the founders of the Bahá'í faith.
Pill
Contraceptive medication, usually in the form of a pill to be taken by a woman; an oral contraceptive pill.
Jane went on the pill when she left for college.
She got pregnant one month after going off the pill.
Tablet
A pill; a small, easily swallowed portion of a substance.
Many people take vitamin tablets as a food supplement.
Pill
Something offensive, unpleasant or nauseous which must be accepted or endured.
Tablet
A block of several sheets of blank paper that are bound together at the top; pad of paper.
Pill
(slang) A contemptible, annoying, or unpleasant person.
Tablet
(computing) A graphics tablet.
Pill
(slang) A comical or entertaining person.
Tablet
(computing) A tablet computer, a type of portable computer.
Pill
(textile) A small piece of any substance, for example a ball of fibres formed on the surface of a textile fabric by rubbing. Colloquially known as a bobble, fuzzball, or lint ball.
Tablet
(Scotland) A confection made from sugar, condensed milk and butter, produced in flat slabs, with a grainer texture than fudge.
Pill
A baseball.
Tablet
(rail) A type of round token giving authority for a train to proceed over a single-track line.
Pill
A bullet projectile.
Tablet
(transitive) To form (a drug, etc.) into tablets.
Pill
(GUI) A rounded rectangle indicating the tag or category that an item belongs to.
Tablet
A small table or flat surface.
Pill
(obsolete) The peel or skin.
Tablet
A flat piece of any material on which to write, paint, draw, or engrave; also, such a piece containing an inscription or a picture.
Pill
An inlet on the coast; a small tidal pool or bay.
Tablet
Hence, a small picture; a miniature.
Pill
Of a woven fabric surface, to form small matted balls of fiber.
Tablet
A kind of pocket memorandum book.
Pill
To form into the shape of a pill.
Pilling is a skill rarely used by modern pharmacists.
Tablet
A flattish cake or piece; as, tablets of arsenic were formerly worn as a preservative against the plague.
Pill
(transitive) To medicate with pills.
She pills herself with all sorts of herbal medicines.
Tablet
A solid kind of electuary or confection, commonly made of dry ingredients with sugar, and usually formed into little flat squares; - called also lozenge, and troche, especially when of a round or rounded form.
Pill
To persuade or convince someone of something.
Tablet
A slab of stone or wood suitable for bearing an inscription
Pill
To blackball (a potential club member).
Tablet
A number of sheets of paper fastened together along one edge
Pill
(obsolete) To peel; to remove the outer layer of hair, skin, or bark.
Tablet
A small flat compressed cake of some substance;
A tablet of soap
Pill
To peel; to make by removing the skin.
Tablet
A dose of medicine in the form of a small pellet
Pill
To be peeled; to peel off in flakes.
Pill
(obsolete) To pillage; to despoil or impoverish.
Pill
The peel or skin.
Pill
A medicine in the form of a little ball, or small round mass, to be swallowed whole.
Pill
Figuratively, something offensive or nauseous which must be accepted or endured.
Pill
To be peeled; to peel off in flakes.
Pill
To deprive of hair; to make bald.
Pill
To peel; to make by removing the skin.
[Jacob] pilled white streaks . . . in the rods.
Pill
To rob; to plunder; to pillage; to peel. See Peel, to plunder.
Pillers and robbers were come in to the field to pill and to rob.
Pill
Something that resembles a pill in shape or size
Pill
A dose of medicine in the form of a small pellet
Pill
A unpleasant or tiresome person
Pill
Something unpleasant or offensive that must be tolerated or endured;
His competitor's success was a bitter pill to take
Pill
A contraceptive in the form of a pill containing estrogen and progestin to inhibit ovulation and so prevent conception
Pill
He took a pill for his allergies.
Pill
She prefers gelatin pill capsules.
Pill
The vitamin pills came in various shapes.
Common Curiosities
Are tablets always round?
No, they can be various shapes.
Is a capsule a pill?
Yes, it falls under the pill category.
Are all pills tablets?
No, not necessarily.
Can pills be liquid-filled?
Yes, some pills are liquid-filled capsules.
Do all tablets have a coating?
Many do, but not all.
Can tablets dissolve in water?
Some are designed to do so.
Do tablets contain binders?
Generally, yes, to hold them together.
Can tablets be chewed?
Some can, but not all.
Do pills have a longer shelf life?
Depends on the type and storage.
Can you split any tablet?
Only if it's scored and intended for that.
Can you crush a pill?
Depends on the type and instructions.
Are pills only for oral use?
Primarily, but there are exceptions.
Are chewable pills common?
Yes, especially for children.
Do pills come in blister packs?
Often, for protection and dosing.
Are all tablets swallowed whole?
Many are, but there are exceptions.
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Written by
Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
Edited by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
