Revised as of 13 July 2020
As Shakespeare says “So quick bright things come to confusion.” And that says it all about Chile vs Chili, for both can go all ways. And there are a few dictionaries that want to pull chilly in as well!
Please don’t…
For all that, there’s Chile the country, and then chile the pepper, which can also be a chili or chilli — no, it doesn’t mean its colder or hotter…
In New Mexico, they eat a stew called chile, which is what the LA Times uses to refer to the pepper. The Times prefers chili for the stew. And, yes, still others like a stew they call chilli.
The key in all this is consistency. Whichever version you choose, use that same spelling throughout.
As for chilly being anything other than cold…keep in mind that there’s nothing cold about chile or chili and only Chile is the country.
ADDENDUM: Andy Hollandbeck had an interesting post on chilies:
- AP prefers chili (pl. chilies) although the Hatch chili is an exception
- A common preference (sometimes) by publishers is to use chile for the pepper and chili for the stew, or
- Use chili for English phrases and chile for Spanish ones
- Use chili when referring to the stew being used as a topping, i.e., chili dogs or chili fries
Word Confusions…
…started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noir for you from either end.
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| Chile | Chili | Chilly |
|---|---|---|
| Credit to: Apple Dictionary.com; The Free Dictionary: chili and chilly; Dictionary.com: chilly; Vocabulary.com: chilly | ||
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Chile, Administrative Divisions is TUBS’ own work under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons. |
Pot-o-chili by FiveRings is under the CC BY 3.0 license, via English Wikipedia. — Yum, a pot of chili con carne with whole green hot chilis, kidney beans, and tomatoes. |
Chilly! by apasciuto is under the CC BY 2.0 license, via Flickr. — I feel that! |
| Part of Grammar: | ||
| Noun; Noun, proper Plural: chiles (never Chiles) |
Noun Plural: chilies, chilis, chiles [British] chillies, chillis Alternate spelling: chilli |
Adjective; Adverb |
| Noun: [US] Spelling for chili [Southern US dialect] Spelling of child [A.k.a., chili pepper] The pungent pod of any of several species of Capsicum, especially C. annuum longum used in cooking for its pungent flavor [Cooking] A stew made of meat or beans (or both) and usually tomatoes, spiced with chili peppers or chili powder [Cooking] A meatless version of chili con carne Noun, proper: |
[A.k.a., chili pepper] A small hot-tasting pod of a variety of capsicum, used chopped (and often dried) in sauces, relishes, and spice powders
|
Adjective: Uncomfortably cool or cold so as to cause discomfort
Unenthusiastic Adverb: |
| Examples: | ||
| Noun: We’re having chile tonight! Where you been, honey chile? I like to chop up a chile when I make scrambled eggs. Noun, proper: Salvador Allende was a Marxist president in Chile until 1973. In 1990, a democratically elected president took office in Chile. |
Noun: There are various forms of chilis with pods of differing size, color, and strength of flavor, such as cascabels and jalapeños. Be careful to use a very few flakes of chili pepper to give a dish a tang. Chilis are hot with a finely tapering form. Cayenne, cayenne pepper, chili pepper, jalapeño, and long pepper are all chilis. There is nothing like a chili dog! Better put chili powder on the grocery list. |
Adjective: It had turned chilly. The breeze certainly is chilly. It turned out to be a chilly day. I felt a bit chilly. Oh, man, my hands are so chilly. We got a chilly reception at the party last night. The movie opened to a chilly reception from the critics. Adverb: |
| Derivatives: | ||
| Adjective: Chilean, pro-Chilean, pseudo-Chilean Noun, proper: Chilean, pro-Chilean, pseudo-Chilean |
Adjective: chilled, chillier, chilliest, chillsome Adverb: chillily, chillingly Noun: chiller, chilliness, chillness |
|
| History of the Word: | ||
| Early 17th century from the Spanish chile, which is from the Nahuatl chīlli, a native name for the peppers.
By 1846, it became the shortened form for chile con carne and similar dishes. |
First recorded in 1560–70, combining chill + -y. | |
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan…which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them…and we’ll all benefit!
Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions by exploring the index. You may also want to explore Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, and/or the Properly Punctuated.
Resources for hile vs Chili vs Chilly
Hollandbeck, Andy. “Picking at the Pepper Problem.” Aces Editors.org. 5 May 2020. Web. 13 July 2020. <https://aceseditors.org/news/2020/picking-at-the-pepper-problem>.
Pinterest Photo Credits:
Antarctic Ichthyologist Dr Christopher Jones with a Large Patagonian Toothfish, Dissostichus eleginoides, <https://www.photolib.noaa.gov/htmls/fish8620.htm> was photographed by Christopher Jones and is in the public domain, courtesy of NOAA NMFS SWFSC Antarctic Marine Living Resources (AMLR) Program, via the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Adminstration. Dish of Chilis, <https://pxhere.com/en/photo/614991> is under the CC0 license, via pxhere.
