Is it ‘Chilli’, ‘Chili’, ‘Chile’, ‘Chilies’, or even ‘Chillies’?

Being an American and living in England I have to admit I’ve struggled with this question as much as anyone. I believe that the answer is ‘it just depends on what part of the world you’re in’; however, in my research I’ve found a LOT of debate and text devoted to the subject.

Obviously, the popular British spelling is “Chilli” and “Chili” is the spelling used widely in the USA and Canada. “Chile” is the Mexican-Spanish term for Capsicums. It is also used in New Mexico and interestingly, many US newspapers have changed their spelling to “Chile” in recent years.

Dave DeWitt, author of “The Chile Pepper Encyclopedia” and an acknowledged international expert on chilli peppers says “In conclusion, the many spellings and the syntax of the words used to describe the Capsicum genus will never be standardized.”