Chile or chilli?
chile is a noun meaning “Alternative spelling of chili”; chilli is a noun meaning “Alternative spelling of chili”. They sound the same (/ˈt͡ʃɪli/). In written English (wordfreq, 2021 data) chile is about 5.9 times as common as chilli.
What is the difference between chile and chilli?
| chile | chilli | |
|---|---|---|
| Part of speech | noun | noun |
| Meaning | USAlternative spelling of chili Pronunciation spelling of child, representing Southern US and African-American Vernacular English | Alternative spelling of chili |
| Example | none recorded | none recorded |
| Forms | chiles chillun, chirren | chillis, chillies |
| Pronunciation | /ˈt͡ʃɪli/ /ˈt͡ʃaɪl/ | /ˈt͡ʃɪli/ |
| In writing | 11 times per million words | 1.9 times per million words |
Sources: chile and chilli in the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Every current meaning of chile and chilli
chile
- 1
USAlternative spelling of chili
- 2
Pronunciation spelling of child, representing Southern US and African-American Vernacular English
chilli
- 1
Alternative spelling of chili
Source: the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); obsolete, archaic, dialect and rare senses left out.
Which is more common, chile or chilli?
chile appears 11 times per million words; chilli 1.9 times per million words.
chile 11 times per million wordschilli 1.9 times per million words
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).