When you think of 'pepper' in French, 'poivre' for the spice and 'poivron' for the vegetable are the most common words that come to mind. But the world of peppers is vast and flavorful, and so is the French vocabulary to describe it!

Whether you're asking for black pepper for your steak, specifying you want a green bell pepper in your salad, or daring to try a spicy dish with chili peppers, knowing the right term is essential for any foodie navigating France or a French menu.

Let's spice up your vocabulary and explore the 9 essential ways to say 'pepper' in French!

1. The standard 'pepper' (the spice) – le poivre

The most common and standard word for 'pepper'—the spice you grind onto your food—is le poivre. It's a masculine noun, so you'll always see it preceded by articles like le or un.

Crucially, le poivre refers only to the spice (black, white, etc.). It should not be confused with the vegetable, the bell pepper, which is called le poivron in French. This is a very common mistake for learners to make.

You'll often see le poivre specified by its type. For example:

• Le poivre noir: Black pepper
• Le poivre blanc: White pepper
• Le poivre en grains: Peppercorns (pepper in grains)
• Le poivre moulu: Ground pepper

Just like in English, pepper is almost always paired with salt. The phrase is le sel et le poivre. When you're at a restaurant table, you might ask, « Pouvez-vous me passer le sel et le poivre, s'il vous plaît ? » (Can you pass me the salt and pepper, please?).

Le poivre is a cornerstone of French cuisine, used to season everything from steaks (steak au poivre) to simple salads. Understanding this word is essential for dining out or cooking from a French recipe.

💡 * Tu peux ajouter un peu de poivre noir, s'il te plaît ? (Can you add a little black pepper, please?)

• Sur la table, il y a le sel et le poivre. (On the table, there is the salt and pepper.)
• Je préfère le poivre en grains fraîchement moulu. (I prefer freshly ground peppercorns.)
• Attention, ce n'est pas un poivron, c'est du poivre très fort ! (Be careful, that's not a bell pepper, it's very strong pepper!)

The 'bell pepper' (the vegetable) – le poivron

In French, the word for 'bell pepper' is le poivron. It is a masculine noun, which is important to remember for articles and adjective agreement. You would say un poivron for 'a bell pepper' and le poivron for 'the bell pepper'.

The plural form is straightforward: simply add an 's' to make les poivrons (the bell peppers). When buying them at a market, you might ask for deux poivrons (two bell peppers) or des poivrons (some bell peppers).

To specify the color of the bell pepper, the adjective comes after the noun, as is common in French. For example: un poivron rouge (a red bell pepper), un poivron vert (a green bell pepper), or un poivron jaune (a yellow bell pepper).

Le poivron is a key ingredient in many French dishes, especially in southern cuisine. It's a star component of the famous Provençal vegetable stew, la ratatouille.

Be careful not to mix up le poivron (bell pepper) with le poivre (pepper, the spice). While they are related in English, in French, they are distinct. Le poivre is the spice you find in a pepper shaker, whereas le poivron is the large, colorful vegetable.

💡 * J'ai besoin d'un poivron rouge et d'un poivron vert pour la ratatouille.

• Les poivrons farcis sont un plat classique.
• Tu préfères le poivron jaune ou le poivron orange ?
• N'ajoute pas trop de poivre, mais tu peux ajouter plus de poivron.

The 'red bell pepper' – le poivron rouge

The French word for a bell pepper is le poivron. It is a masculine noun, which is important for choosing the correct articles (le, un) and adjective endings.

To specify the color, you add the adjective after the noun. For 'red', the adjective is rouge. Therefore, a 'red bell pepper' is un poivron rouge.

Since poivron is masculine, the adjective rouge doesn't change. This is also true for other colors like yellow (jaune) and orange (orange). For green, it would be un poivron vert.

To talk about more than one red bell pepper, you make both the noun and the adjective plural by adding an 's' to each: les poivrons rouges.

Be careful not to confuse le poivron with le poivre, which means pepper, the spice. While they sound slightly similar, they refer to completely different ingredients.

💡 * J'ai besoin d'un poivron rouge pour la salade. (I need a red bell pepper for the salad.)

• Combien coûtent les poivrons rouges ? (How much do the red bell peppers cost?)
• Il coupe le poivron rouge en fines lamelles. (He is cutting the red bell pepper into thin strips.)
• Ma recette préférée est celle des poivrons rouges farcis. (My favorite recipe is stuffed red bell peppers.)

The 'green bell pepper' – le poivron vert

The French term for 'the green bell pepper' is le poivron vert.

Let's break this down: Le poivron means 'the bell pepper,' and vert is the adjective for 'green.' In French grammar, adjectives typically follow the noun they modify, which is why vert comes after poivron.

Poivron is a masculine noun, so it uses the masculine article le. The adjective vert is also in its masculine form to agree with the noun. The plural form is les poivrons verts.

You can apply this structure to other colors as well. For example, a red bell pepper is le poivron rouge, and a yellow one is le poivron jaune.

💡 * J'ai acheté un poivron vert au marché. (I bought a green bell pepper at the market.)

• Pour cette recette, il faut couper le poivron vert en dés. (For this recipe, you need to dice the green bell pepper.)
• La pizza est garnie de poivrons verts et d'oignons. (The pizza is topped with green bell peppers and onions.)
• Je préfère le goût des poivrons rouges aux poivrons verts. (I prefer the taste of red bell peppers to green bell peppers.)

The 'hot pepper' or 'chili' – le piment

The 'hot pepper' or 'chili' – le piment

Le piment is the primary French word for both 'chili' and 'hot pepper.' It's a masculine noun, so you always use masculine articles like un piment (a chili) or le piment (the chili).

In cooking, le piment can refer to the fresh fruit, dried flakes, or the ground spice used to add heat. The specific form is usually understood from the context of the recipe or conversation.

To specify the level of spiciness, French speakers use adjectives like doux (mild), moyen (medium), or fort (hot/strong). The word piquant is also commonly used to mean 'spicy' or 'hot'.

The word also has a figurative use in the popular expression mettre du piment dans sa vie, which means 'to spice up one's life' or add excitement and zest.

💡 * J'ai acheté des piments verts au marché. (I bought some green chili peppers at the market.)

• Attention, cette sauce contient beaucoup de piment ! (Be careful, this sauce contains a lot of chili!)
• Pour rendre le plat plus intéressant, ajoute une pincée de piment en poudre. (To make the dish more interesting, add a pinch of chili powder.)
• Il a décidé de voyager pour mettre un peu de piment dans sa vie. (He decided to travel to add a little spice to his life.)

The 'Cayenne pepper' – le piment de Cayenne

When it comes to spices, some names translate quite directly. 'Cayenne pepper' is one of them, known in French as le piment de Cayenne. This makes it easy for English speakers to recognize.

Let's break down the name. Le piment is the general French word for 'chili pepper' or 'hot pepper'. The word Cayenne refers to the city in French Guiana, from where this specific type of pepper originates. So, le piment de Cayenne literally means 'the pepper from Cayenne'.

While le piment de Cayenne refers to the specific spice, if you want to say something is spicy or contains chili in general, you would use the adjective pimenté (spicy/hot). For example, 'J'aime la nourriture pimentée' means 'I like spicy food'.

Cayenne pepper isn't a staple of traditional metropolitan French cuisine, which often favors herbs over intense heat. However, it's a key ingredient in Creole cooking from French overseas territories and is readily available in any modern French supermarket (supermarché).

💡 * J'ai besoin de piment de Cayenne pour ma recette.

• Attention, cette sauce est très forte, elle contient du piment de Cayenne.
• Tu peux ajouter une pincée de piment de Cayenne pour relever le plat.
• Où puis-je trouver le piment de Cayenne dans ce magasin ?

The famous Basque pepper – le piment d'Espelette

Le piment d'Espelette is a celebrated variety of chili pepper cultivated in the French Basque Country, particularly in the village of Espelette. It holds a prestigious Appellation d'Origine Protégée (AOP), a protected designation of origin that guarantees its specific geographic origin and quality.

This pepper is prized for its mild heat, measuring only about 4,000 on the Scoville scale, which is less spicy than a jalapeño. Its flavor is complex and aromatic, with warm, fruity, and slightly smoky notes that add depth to dishes without overwhelming them.

A staple in Basque cuisine, piment d'Espelette is most commonly sold as a fine powder. It's incredibly versatile and used to season a wide range of foods, including meats, seafood, stews like piperade, omelets, and even chocolate.

💡 * J'ajoute une pincée de piment d'Espelette dans ma vinaigrette. (I add a pinch of Espelette pepper to my vinaigrette.)

• Le jambon de Bayonne est souvent servi avec un peu de piment d'Espelette. (Bayonne ham is often served with a little Espelette pepper.)
• Cette recette de poulet basquaise nécessite du piment d'Espelette. (This Basque chicken recipe calls for Espelette pepper.)
• As-tu goûté ce chocolat au piment d'Espelette ? (Have you tasted this chocolate with Espelette pepper?)

The whole 'peppercorn' – le grain de poivre

The French term for a single, whole peppercorn is le grain de poivre. It literally translates to 'the grain of pepper.'

The phrase is composed of two parts: grain, which means 'grain' or 'seed,' and poivre, which means 'pepper.' This construction helps you remember that it refers to the whole, unground form of the spice.

You will use this term in culinary contexts, especially when reading recipes or buying spices. It's important to distinguish le grain de poivre (the peppercorn) from le poivre moulu (ground pepper).

More often than not, you'll use the plural form, les grains de poivre, since recipes usually call for more than one. A pepper mill, for instance, is filled with des grains de poivre.

💡 * J'ai besoin d'acheter des grains de poivre noir pour mon moulin. (I need to buy black peppercorns for my mill.)

• Ajoutez une cuillère à café de grains de poivre à la marinade. (Add a teaspoon of peppercorns to the marinade.)
• Le chef a écrasé les grains de poivre juste avant de les utiliser. (The chef crushed the peppercorns just before using them.)

The 'ground pepper' – le poivre moulu

The direct translation for 'ground pepper' in French is le poivre moulu. The term is composed of two parts: le poivre, which means 'pepper', and moulu, which is the adjective for 'ground'. It comes from the verb moudre, meaning 'to grind'.

Since poivre is a masculine noun, the adjective must also be in its masculine form, moulu. You will almost always see this combination. For example, you would talk about le poivre noir moulu (ground black pepper) or le poivre blanc moulu (ground white pepper).

This is the standard term used in any culinary context. You'll find le poivre moulu on grocery store labels, in recipes, and at the dinner table. If you want whole peppercorns, you would ask for grains de poivre.

💡 * Ajoutez une pincée de sel et de poivre moulu.

• Je n'ai plus de poivre moulu, je dois en acheter.
• Le chef a saupoudré le plat de poivre fraîchement moulu.
• La recette demande une cuillère à café de poivre moulu.

Are there other ways to say 'pepper' in French?

Are there other ways to say 'pepper' in French?

This guide has covered the essential French words for 'pepper': poivre for the spice and poivron for the bell pepper. But French, like its cuisine, is full of nuances. You'll also encounter terms like piment for hot peppers, and many specific regional varieties.

To discover more, try searching online for a specific type of pepper you're curious about, like 'comment dire 'cayenne pepper' en français'. You'll find a world of specific culinary terms.

The best way to master these words is through context. When reading a French recipe or looking at a menu, pay close attention to modifiers. Is it poivre noir (black pepper), poivre blanc (white pepper), or perhaps the famous piment d'Espelette?

Immerse yourself in French culinary culture! Watch French cooking shows or browse online grocery stores in France. You'll see how these words are used naturally and discover even more vocabulary related to spices and vegetables.

For a deeper dive into culinary terms, websites like Marmiton or Cuisine AZ are fantastic resources. You can also check the WordReference entry for poivre or piment to see them used in various phrases.

I hope this guide has spiced up your French vocabulary! To finish, here’s a thought that fits perfectly: 'La variété est la véritable épice de la vie, qui lui donne toute sa saveur.' (Variety is the very spice of life, that gives it all its flavor.)