chile
/ˈtʃɪli/
noun
Familiar
1.n.a republic in southern South America on the western slopes of the Andes on the south Pacific coast
2.n.very hot and finely tapering pepper of special pungency
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chile and chili are homophones: they are pronounced identically and spelled differently, which is why they are so often swapped. chile means “a republic in southern South America on the western slopes of the Andes on the south Pacific coast”. chili means “ground beef and chili peppers or chili powder often with tomatoes and kidney beans”. chili is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈtʃɪli/
1.n.a republic in southern South America on the western slopes of the Andes on the south Pacific coast
2.n.very hot and finely tapering pepper of special pungency
/ˈtʃɪli/
1.n.ground beef and chili peppers or chili powder often with tomatoes and kidney beans
2.n.very hot and finely tapering pepper of special pungency
| chile | chili | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈtʃɪli/ | /ˈtʃɪli/ |
| Said | CHIL-ee | CHIL-ee |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Letters | 5 | 5 |
| Parts of speech | noun | noun |
| Senses | 2 | 2 |
| How common | Familiar | Common |
| Synonyms | Republic of Chile | chili con carne |
Full entry for chile · Full entry for chili · More comparisons