Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| pimiento | /piˈmjento/ | masculine |
| chile dulce | /ˌt͡ʃile ˈdulθe/ /ˌt͡ʃile ˈdulse/ |
Costa Rica, masculine |
| chile morrón | /ˌt͡ʃile moˈron/ | El Salvador, Honduras, masculine |
| chile pimiento | /t͡ʃile pimjento/ (from spelling rules) | Guatemala, masculine |
| chiltoma | /t͡ʃilˈtoma/ | Nicaragua, feminine |
| locote | /loˈkote/ | Paraguay, masculine |
| morrón | /moˈron/ | Argentina, Uruguay, masculine |
| pimentón | /pimenˈton/ | Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, Venezuela, masculine |
| pimiento morrón | /piˌmjento moˈron/ | Mexico, masculine |
| ají dulce | /axi dulθe/ (Spain, from spelling rules) /axi dulse/ (Latin America, from spelling rules) |
Dominican Republic, masculine |
The word refers to the spicy-sweet fruit. You can specify the color by adding the color after the noun, such as pimiento verde for green bell pepper or pimiento amarillo for yellow bell pepper.
Which one should you use?
While pimiento is the general term for a bell pepper, many specific regional names are used throughout Latin America.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The name for bell pepper varies significantly by country and region: • Argentina and Uruguay: morrón
• Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Peru and Venezuela: pimentón
• Costa Rica: chile dulce
• Cuba: ajíes
• Dominican Republic: ají dulce
• El Salvador and Honduras: chile morrón
• Guatemala: chile pimiento
• Nicaragua: chiltoma (feminine)
• Paraguay: locote
• Mexico: pimiento morrón
• Parts of Central America (including Costa Rica and El Salvador): chiltoma is also used.
How does it change in a sentence?
The default form pimiento is a masculine noun. The form chiltoma used in Nicaragua is feminine.
How do you pronounce it?
/piˈmjento/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Be careful with the word pimentón in many South American countries. In those regions, it often refers to paprika powder rather than the fresh bell pepper.
Did you know?
- The term chile is not originally Spanish but was borrowed from the Classical Nahuatl word chīlli.
- The term morrón is derived from morro, which can mean 'snout' or 'nose', likely referring to the rounded shape of the pepper.
- The word ají is used for bell peppers in the Caribbean, but in the Andean region it almost always refers to a spicy chili.
Examples in context
- Por favor, pase el pimientoPlease pass the bell pepper
- Esta ensalada lleva chile rojoThis salad has red bell pepper
- Voy a hacer una salsa con morrónI'm going to make a sauce with bell pepper
- Voy a la pulpería a comprar chiltomasI'm going to the corner store to buy bell peppers
- El pimiento es verde.The bell pepper is green.
- Necesito un pimiento rojo para la ensalada.I need a red bell pepper for the salad.
- Corta el pimiento en trozos pequeños.Cut the bell pepper into small pieces.
Example conversation
A couple is preparing dinner in their kitchen.
- Daniel¿Tienes un pimiento en la nevera?Do you have a bell pepper in the fridge?
- ElenaSí, tengo uno amarillo.Yes, I have a yellow one.
- DanielPerfecto, lo usaré para la cena.Perfect, I will use it for dinner.
- ElenaMuy bien, Daniel.Very well, Daniel.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bell pepper” translations and entries pimiento, chile dulce, chile morrón, chiltoma, locote, morrón, pimentón, pimiento morrón, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries chile, dulce, morrón, pimiento, CC BY-SA 4.0.
