Chile vs. Chili

If you're totally fine with reading a nice little rant on grammar/spelling by yours truly, continue. If not, I totally get that. Who wants to read about why some freak is getting ticked off by some English-class thing? I mean, really? But anyway.

Okay, I am a New Mexico kid, and therefore, I have, for one thing, an unfair advantage in this situation, but also an extreme bias. Chile is the lifeblood of this state. We have a state question that asks "red or green?" referring to chile peppers. Usually New Mexicans have a strong preference for either side - for me, it's green, though I kind of just chose it because it has more character and was pretty good in combination with a cheeseburger. Green chile season comes in late summer, and roasting turnstiles permeate the air with the distinct smell of roasting chile.

Even within this state, there are people who flub. "Chili peppers" is often seen written on signs when, obviously, it should be chile. The cafeteria will serve "green chili stew," when they could have said "green chile chili" if they had really wanted, or rather just changed that i to an e. I understand that this sort of mix-up goes on outside the state as well, probably with more frequent occurrences.

In this article and also on the Dictionary.com definition, "chile" and "chili" are seen as interchangeable. With the passing of time and the continuous mistakes, it has likely become acceptable for either of those spellings, and/or "chilli," to fit. Mostly, with the spellings all falling under the i ending, the exact meaning is gathered from context.

Personally, here's how I see it. (I will provide everyone with a handy little translation here, so they can at least understand what I mean if they don't ride on the "e" versus "i" bandwagon.)

chile = spicy variety of pepper, grown in New Mexico (and probably other places in the southwest and nearabouts; I didn't conduct intensive research for this opinion piece)

chili = variety of stew, usually containing meat and also has vegetables; sometimes spicy due to variety of spices used in cooking

My understanding is that "chilli" is the British spelling of "chili," but I'm not sure on that. I also understand that Chile, capitalized, is also a country on the western coast of South America. (You know, the long and skinny one by the ocean?) Not to be confused with the peppers, at all.

If somebody writes "chili peppers," I know what they mean, because there aren't really meat-stew peppers that just grow readily on trees, waiting for the fall harvest. I've never seen a mix-up where somebody writes "chile" for "chili," mostly because they probably don't know the e-ending one, or know when precisely to use it. (Refer to above guide for some usage suggestions.)

So, maybe I got a couple people scratching their heads in confusion, or pumping fists in agreement, but, either way, I hope this was a learning experience for all parties involved, including me. (Yeah, that green chile is awesome.)