The largest human cell is the ovum, also known as the female egg cell or gamete.
Understanding the Ovum's Size
Mature female egg cells are among the largest cells in the human body, measuring approximately 120µm in diameter. This is significantly larger than many other cell types, such as red blood cells which are much smaller. Several sources confirm this, including information found on websites such as Byju's and Fertility Answers. [^1, ^2]
While research continues to map the vast diversity of human cells, with projects like the Human Cell Atlas revealing thousands of cell types, the ovum consistently remains one of the largest identified. [^3, ^4, ^5, ^6, ^7] Studies exploring different organs, like the brain and lung, have detailed many cell types, but none surpass the ovum in size. [^8, ^9, ^10]
Several studies point to the ovum as the largest. For instance, a study on cell size distributions highlights the contrast between the largest cells (like the ovum) and the smallest (like red blood cells).[^11]
Other Large Cells
It's important to note that while the ovum holds the title of largest single cell, some cells, like muscle fiber cells, can merge together to form incredibly large multinucleated structures. However, these are not single cells in the same way an ovum is.
In Summary:
The ovum (female egg cell) is definitively the largest single cell in the human body.
[^1]: Byju's. Name the smallest and largest cell in the human body?
[^2]: Fertility Answers. 6 Facts About the Amazing Human Egg.
[^3]: National Institutes of Health (NIH). Scientists build largest maps to date of cells in human brain.
[^4]: Nature. This is the largest map of the human brain ever made.
[^5]: MD Anderson Cancer Center. Largest-ever atlas of normal breast cells brings unprecedented insights into mammary biology.
[^6]: Northwestern University. Largest cell map of human lung reveals insights into disease.
[^7]: Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. Mysteries of Human Cells: 10 Questions Answered.
[^8]: National Academy of Sciences. The human cell count and size distribution.
[^9]: Human Cell Atlas. Human Cell Atlas.
[^10]: Bionumbers. How big is a human cell?
[^11]: National Academy of Sciences. The human cell count and size distribution.
