Which to use
“chilli” is a noun and “chilly” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #19,786
- “chilli” frequency rank
- #14,916
- “chilly” frequency rank
- 34702
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | chilli | chilly |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Alternative spelling of chili | Cold enough to cause discomfort. |
Same sound, different letters: chilli vs chilly
Muted letters are shared; highlighted letters are the only spelling cue when pronunciation matches. Shared run: 5 letters.
Ear matches; page differs - chilli and chilly
Say them out loud and nothing separates them: chilli and chilly carry the same recorded pronunciation, /ˈt͡ʃɪli/. Grammar is what tells them apart: one is anoun, the other anadjective, so most sentences will only accept one of them. They differ by a single letter - i in “chilli” becomes y in “chilly”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34702, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
chilli is recorded at frequency rank #19,786, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈt͡ʃɪli/. chilly is at rank #14,916, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈt͡ʃɪli/.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 34702, this pair ranks #318,469 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of chilli vs chilly
Shared letters: chil. Private to "chilli": -. Private to "chilly": y.
"chilli" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCV · "chilly" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "chilli" and "chilly" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "chilli" vs "chilly" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
You've separated the homophone pair "chilli" / "chilly". Follow the links when you need the full entry or a neighbour that trips the same ear.
- Full dictionary entry for "chilli" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "chilly" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #318,469 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "chilli" and "chilly" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Charli vs chilli". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #318,469 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.