chili

/ˈt͡ʃɪli/

//ˈt͡ʃɪli// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"chili" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“chili” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #10,663. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#10,663
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The pungent, spicy fresh or dried fruit of any of several cultivated varieties of capsicum peppers, used in cooking.

Corpus desk

Index EN-chili · chili · English

chili · rank #10,663 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #10,663
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH childish

Nearest frequency peer: childish (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “chili”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “chili” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

chili vs chip
60% similar
chili vs chin
60% similar
chili vs coil
60% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for chili
PropertyValue
Headwordchili
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈt͡ʃɪli/
Letters5
Frequency rank#10,663
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “chili”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).chililands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “childish” (#10,662), “Clayton” (#10,664), “chang” (#10,661). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “chili” is #10,663. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around chili (IPA /ˈt͡ʃɪli/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #10,663 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for chili, with forms such as "cchili", "chhili", and "chiil". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "chip", "chin", "coil", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Spanish chile, from Classical Nahuatl chīlli. The correct English form is chili, spelled C-H-I-L-I.

Definition

  1. 1
    The pungent, spicy fresh or dried fruit of any of several cultivated varieties of capsicum peppers, used in cooking.
  2. 2
    Powdered chili pepper, used as a spice or flavouring in cooking.
  3. 3
    A spicy stew of chicken or paneer, capsicum and onion, eaten as an appetizer.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how chili appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Capsicum—the dried ripe fruit of Capsicum fastigiatum—is also known as Chilly pepper, Chillies, Guinea, or pod pepper, and is chiefly brought from Zanzibar. The several varieties differ in shape and size, are of a red colour, and filled with numerous red-brown, pungent seeds.
  2. Kama Indian Bistro, […] Everything is made from scratch, including the spice blends and sauces; the ingredients are quality; and the heat is no-holds-barred. Planks of crispy, "chilly" potatoes and elegant, delicately flavored shrimp Sunnaina in white-wine garlic-tomato concassé are hits.

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish chile, from Classical Nahuatl chīlli.

This word in other languages

chile(Español)piment(Français)Chili(Deutsch)chile(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • cchili
  • chhili
  • chiil
  • chlii
  • cihli
  • hcili

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of chili - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

cchili1chhili1chiil2chlii2cihli2hcili2
Edit distance from "chili"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "chili"?
"chili" is spelled C-H-I-L-I. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈt͡ʃɪli/.
What does "chili" mean?
As a noun, "chili" means: The pungent, spicy fresh or dried fruit of any of several cultivated varieties of capsicum peppers, used in cooking.
What words are commonly confused with "chili"?
"chili" is commonly confused with "chip", "chin", "coil". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "chili"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "chili" is /ˈt͡ʃɪli/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "chili"?
Borrowed from Spanish chile, from Classical Nahuatl chīlli. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "chili", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

chang#10,661Carey#10,658blink#10,655arose#10,649

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

faded6 variantsflex6 variantssupper6 variantssunk6 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list