Difference between "spicy" and "hot"

A food is spicy when your taste buds react to it. Indian foods use a lot of spices in their dishes.

A food is hot when it causes you to feel the need to get water or milk to drown out the heat in your mouth. Mexican foods use a lot of hot foods in their dishes.

You may want to avoid using "hot" with persons when you feel the context is not clear: Hot - Slang, meaning: Sexually excited or exciting.

Other use:
hot (ht)
adj. hot·ter, hot·test
1.
a. Having or giving off heat; capable of burning.
b. Being at a high temperature.
2. Being at or exhibiting a temperature that is higher than normal or desirable: a hot forehead.
3. Causing a burning sensation, as in the mouth; spicy: hot peppers; a hot curry.
4.
a. Charged or energized with electricity: a hot wire.
b. Radioactive, especially to a dangerous degree.
5.
a. Marked by intensity of emotion; ardent or fiery: a hot temper.
b. Having or displaying great enthusiasm; eager: hot for travel.
6.
a. Informal Arousing intense interest, excitement, or controversy: a hot new book; a hot topic.
b. Informal Marked by excited activity or energy: a hot week on the stock market.
c. Violent; raging: a hot battle.
7. Slang Sexually excited or exciting.
8. Slang
a. Recently stolen: a hot car.
b. Wanted by the police: a hot suspect.
9. Close to a successful solution or conclusion: hot on the trail.
10. Informal
a. Most recent; new or fresh: a hot news item; the hot fashions for fall.
b. Currently very popular or successful: one of the hottest young talents around.
c. Requiring immediate action or attention: a hot opportunity.
11. Slang Very good or impressive. Often used in the negative: I'm not so hot at math.
12. Slang Funny or absurd: told a hot one about the neighbors' dog.
13. Slang
a. Performing with great skill and daring: a hot drummer.
b. Having or characterized by repeated successes: a player who is on a hot streak.
c. Fast and responsive: a hot sports car.
d. Unusually lucky: hot at craps.
14. Music Of, relating to, or being an emotionally charged style of performance marked by strong rhythms and improvisation: hot jazz.
15. Bold and bright.
n. hots (hts)
Slang Strong sexual attraction or desire. Used with the.
adv.
1. In a hot manner; hotly.
2. While hot: foods that are best eaten hot.
tr.v. hot·ted, hot·ting, hots
Informal To cause to increase in intensity or excitement. Often used with up: "His book is an exercise in the fashionable art of instant history, in which every episode is hotted up with an anecdote" (Harper's).
Idioms:
hot and bothered Informal
In a state of agitated excitement; flustered: all hot and bothered before the opening performance.
hot and heavy
1. Informal Passionate or intense: Interest in the new stock was hot and heavy.
2. Characterized by or engaging in amorous or sexual activity.
hot to trot Slang
1. Sexually avid; lascivious.
2. Ready and willing; eager.
hot under the collar Informal
Angry.
make it hot for Slang
To make things uncomfortable or dangerous for: Don't make it hot for yourself by needlessly finding fault.
[Middle English, from Old English ht; see kai- in Indo-European roots.]
hotness n.

The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language

"Spicy", other use:
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spic·y (sps)
adj. spic·i·er, spic·i·est
1. Having the flavor, aroma, or quality of spice.
2. Piquant; zesty: a spicy tomato sauce.
3. Producing or abounding in spices.
4. High-spirited; lively.
5. Slightly scandalous; risqué: a spicy Hollywood romance.
spici·ly adv.
spici·ness n.

The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language