Tag Archives: chilly

Chile Versus Chili

There are hundreds of varieties of chiles grown throughout the world.  “Chile” is the Spanish spelling of the word, but you’ll see it spelled differently wherever you travel.  For example, in Australia and England the word is often spelled “chilli”.  Other variations are “chilie”, “chillie”, “chilley” and even “chilly” (which to North Americans describes the temperature outside on a cool day!). “Chili” is the name of a cooked dish, such as “chili con carne” or “chili verde” and doesn’t refer to the chiles themselves.