red hot chilli peppers vs chilli vs hot chilli vs hot pepper

[esme_rom]

Hello! is there anyone who kindly could explain me which term to use if I want to refer to the spicy chillies that bite, or which term to use if I want to refer to them anyway but keep it short??
And if I want to refer to the big peppers, the ones that doesn't bite can I just say for example "pepper" or when it is about the sweet ones "sweet pepper"? Is it necessary to use the whole "red hot chilli peppers" phrase??
I hope someone can clarify this to me because it is confusing me, thanks!

 

[liliput]

If you ask for "a chilli" or "a chilli pepper" you will get a hot or spicy pepper.

We refer to spicy things as "hot" we don't tend to say "they bite". "Red" in this case is an intensifier - if hot is picante then red-hot is muy picante.

Asking for "a pepper" should get you a sweet pepper, but you may wish to specify "sweet" if you want to be really sure.

If you ask for "red hot chilli peppers" people will probably think you are referring to the band.

 

[esme_rom]

If you ask for "a chilli" or "a chilli pepper" you will get a hot or spicy pepper.

We refer to spicy things as "hot" we don't tend to say "they bite". "Red" in this case is an intensifier - if hot is picante then red-hot is muy picante.

Asking for "a pepper" should get you a sweet pepper, but you may wish to specify "sweet" if you want to be really sure.

If you ask for "red hot chilli peppers" people will probably think you are referring to the band.

Thank you, but I still need to know if to refer to the spicy chillies I have to wirte the whole thing as "red hot chilli peppers" or it could be perfectly understood wht I am talking about if I just write:

red hot chillies = very spicy chillies or
hot chillies= spicy chillies (that are also red)

 

[scotu]

To give you the best information to describe various chilies in English, it would help us to know what are you using these descriptions for.

 

[MHCKA]

Red-hot chilli peppers: Chiles muy picantes.

Si te quieres ver muy "pro" existe incluso una escala para definir la intensidad del picor de los chiles: la escala Scoville. (Ésta es mi contribución a la comunidad forera porque de esto casi nadie sabe)

Un chile que no pica no es un chile, es un pimiento.

Saludos chilangos desde este lado del río.

 

[Dilar12345]

Just say "spicy chillies" or "very hot chillies" and people will know what you mean. For one of the sweet peppers people usually say "sweet red pepper" or something like that.

 

[liliput]

As I wrote in the previous post, a chilli is hot anyway so you don't need to write anything except "chilli". Most people will associate the phrase "red hot chilli peppers" more with the musical group than with pimientos.

Chilli = pimiento picante
Hot chilli = pimiento muy picante
Red hot chilli = pimiento super picante
Very hot red chilli = pimiento rojo muy picante

 

[fenixpollo]

Chili is an English spelling of chile. Either chili or chile are acceptable spellings in my region. I have never seen this word spelled chilli, with a double "LL", and if I saw it spelled that way, then I would tell you that it was misspelled.

Chili is also a spicy soup made with beans or meat-and-beans, that was developed in the Southwestern U.S./Northwestern Mexico.

pimiento/pimiento morrón = bell pepper
chile = chile / chili / spicy pepper

The phrase "red hot chili peppers" (one L) is the name of a band. It is not a set phrase in English. As liliput has said, this expression should not be used to describe chiles, to avoid confusion with the name of the band.

 

[Ritoha]

Guindillas picante
Guindillas muy picante
Guindillas dulce
That's what they call them here.

 

[Laurita18]

I agree with Fenixpollo... If you are looking for a sweet, non-spicy pepper, I would use "bell pepper"-- the variety comes in red, orange, yellow and green (though the green ones taste VERY different from the other three colors, which are sweet).

If we're talking about spicy peppers, los picantes, and you want to keep it short, I would say "chiles" or, better, "chili peppers."

The Red Hot Chili Peppers, on the other hand, are a FANTASTIC American rock band.

 

[scotu]

Chili is an English spelling of chile. Either chili or chile are acceptable spellings in my region. I have never seen this word spelled chilli, with a double "LL", and if I saw it spelled that way, then I would tell you that it was misspelled.

The dictionaries give chile, chili, and chilli as alternatives without a clear indication as to which is preferred (but my computer spell check only likes chili )

 

[esme_rom]

The dictionaries give chile, chili, and chilli as alternatives without a clear indication as to which is preferred (but my computer spell check only likes chili )

As far as I know "Chilli" is the British spelling whereas "Chili" is the American.

 

[Chris K]

Around here (NE US) peppers are commonly divided into two classes, hot and sweet. The most common variety of sweet pepper is the bell pepper, but there are others. Jalapeños would be "jalapeño peppers." The word chile (referring to the fruit, not to the stew) is recognized but usually confined to cookbooks and ethnic food. There are many Italian-Americans and other gardeners who would never use the word chile when they mean "pepper."

 

[Forero]

"Red hot chilli peppers" is a phrase from a jumprope game, referring to the fastest rate one can swing the rope that is being jumped.

"Red hot" otherwise means "so hot that it glows red", like a burning ember.

Another way to refer to really spicy chiles is "four-alarm peppers". "Four-alarm" otherwise means "so big it requires four fire trucks and four crews of firefighters to extinguish", like a warehouse fire.

For peppers, these are colorful terms descriptive of their taste, not phrases required when referring to them.

 

[liliput]

As far as I know "Chilli" is the British spelling whereas "Chili" is the American.

Agreed. The Compact OED lists chilli pepper and chile as alternatives for chilli, and chili as the US spelling.