Which one should you use?
It is important to distinguish between piccante and speziato. While piccante refers specifically to the heat or pungency of chilies, speziato describes food that is heavily seasoned with aromatic spices, such as cinnamon or cumin, which does not necessarily result in a hot or burning sensation.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective piccante is invariable in gender, so it stays the same whether you are describing a masculine or feminine noun. However, it does change in number: use piccante for singular nouns and piccanti when describing plural nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /pikˈkan.te/. It has three syllables, with the stress on the second syllable.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using speziato when you mean that food is hot or pungent due to chilies. In Italian, speziato only refers to the presence of aromatic spices.
Did you know?
- The term piccante can also be used metaphorically to describe a 'spicy' or suggestive joke in a social context.
- While piccante describes the heat, the Italian word for a 'spice' in general is spezia, which shares a root with the English word 'species'.
- The word piccante is borrowed from the French word piquant.
Examples in context
- Il cibo è piccante.The food is spicy.This sentence shows how to describe food as being piccante.Tatoeba #11093007 by Guybrush88, translation #4495138 by CK
- Non è molto piccante.It is not very spicy.This sentence is useful for expressing that something is not very piccante.Tatoeba #7891201 by Guybrush88, translation #7803014 by sharris123
- È troppo piccante per me.It's too spicy for me.This sentence demonstrates how to say something is too piccante for your preference.Tatoeba #2613069 by Guybrush88, translation #2613065 by Shishir
- Questo cibo è piccante!This food is spicy!
- 61 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Francesco and Giulia are ordering food at a restaurant.
- FrancescoVuoi provare questo piatto piccante?Do you want to try this spicy dish?
- GiuliaSì, mi piace molto il cibo piccante.Yes, I really like spicy food.
- FrancescoOttimo, allora prendiamolo da dividere.Great, then let's get it to share.
- GiuliaPerfetto, Francesco, ordina pure!Perfect, Francesco, go ahead and order!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “spicy” translations and entries piccante, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries piccante, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
