“Desert” and “dessert” are commonly misspelled because they differ by just one letter — but they mean completely unrelated things, and the pronunciation gives a helpful clue.
The Short Answer
Desert (one “s”) refers to a dry, arid region, or as a verb, to abandon someone. Dessert (two “s”s) refers to the sweet course served at the end of a meal.
Examples of “Desert”
- The Sahara is the largest hot desert in the world.
- They crossed the desert on camelback.
- He would never desert his friends in a crisis.
- The soldiers were warned not to desert their post.
Examples of “Dessert”
- What’s for dessert tonight?
- She ordered chocolate cake for dessert.
- Save room for dessert.
- The restaurant’s dessert menu is impressive.
A Simple Memory Trick
“Dessert” has two “s”s, just like you’d want two servings of something sweet. “Desert” has one “s,” matching its single, sparse landscape. If you want more of it, it’s spelled with more “s”s.
A Note on Pronunciation
“Desert” (the sandy region) is stressed on the first syllable (DEZ-ert), while “desert” (the verb, meaning to abandon) and “dessert” (the sweet course) are both stressed on the second syllable (dih-ZERT). This means the verb form of “desert” actually sounds identical to “dessert,” which is a separate, smaller source of confusion from the spelling mix-up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which spelling refers to a sandy, dry region?
A: “Desert,” spelled with one “s,” refers to an arid landscape like the Sahara.
Which spelling refers to the sweet course after a meal?
A: “Dessert,” spelled with two “s”s, refers to the sweet food served at the end of a meal.
Does “desert” ever sound like “dessert”?
A: Yes — the verb form of “desert” (meaning to abandon) is pronounced the same as “dessert,” even though the sandy-region meaning is pronounced differently.
