elote means corn in spanish?

Question

I was taught to use elote for corn in spanish since I was a kid instead of maíz, we never used it, we used maiz only for tortillas, I grew up with elote in South texas, is this wrong? I use elote in conversations

Answer 1

"Elote" is corncob.

"Maíz" and "Mijo" are corn.

Answer 2

I prefer to say maíz, but depends of where are you from. For example, mexican people say elote.

Answer 3

I think elote is more like corn on the cob, but I would not be surprised if it was used in place of maíz. Obviously you use it, and you speak Spanish.