Desert vs. Dessert: What’s the Difference?
The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation
Desert vs. Dessert: What’s the Difference?
Desert and dessert are similar words, so it’s no wonder why they’re so often mistaken for each other. In today’s post we’ll discuss the difference, as well as offer a tip you can use to remember which one is which.
Before we dive into the definitions, however, let’s start by pointing out that both desert and dessert are real words and either spelling can be correct. The meaning and pronunciations of each are different, but neither is necessarily wrong.
The Meaning of Desert
The word desert has two common meanings. As a noun, it refers to a place with a very dry climate:
Jim packed emergency supplies just in case he got stuck somewhere during his long drive through the desert.
As a verb, desert means “to leave or abandon someone”:
Julie is a great friend who would never desert you in your time of need.
Just Deserts
Many misspell the phrase just deserts, meaning “proper punishment.” In that usage, deserts is derived from deserve.
I prophesied that if she kept acting that way, she’d get her just deserts.
The Meaning of Dessert
Dessert is a noun that refers to something served at the end of the meal. In the U.S., that’s commonly associated with cake, ice cream, and other sweets:
I thought I was finished eating until I saw the dessert menu.
Here is a fun, easy way to keep the uses straight: If you ever have trouble remembering the difference between desert and dessert, just keep in mind the extra “s” is for something sweet!
Pop Quiz
Now that you know the difference between desert and dessert, choose the correct word in each sentence below.
1. That restaurant serves an amazing chocolate soufflé for [desert / dessert].
2. I will always stick by Brad because he didn’t [desert / dessert] me when times were tough.
3. Cats like warm weather because they are descended from [desert / dessert] animals.
4. Lydia may be trying to lose weight, but I hope she doesn’t skip [desert / dessert] on her birthday.
5. If you ever found yourself shipwrecked on a [desert / dessert] island, at least you wouldn’t have to wake up for work in the morning.
Pop Quiz Answers
1. That restaurant serves an amazing chocolate soufflé for dessert.
2. I will always stick by Brad because he didn’t desert me when times were tough.
3. Cats like warm weather because they are descended from desert animals.
4. Lydia may be trying to lose weight, but I hope she doesn’t skip dessert on her birthday.
5. If you ever found yourself shipwrecked on a desert island, at least you wouldn’t have to wake up for work in the morning.
Keep Adding to Your Knowledge of Grammar
You can always sharpen your grammar skills by learning the finer points of American English. We keep ourselves busy adding content to our website that can help both new and experienced learners find answers to questions they have about our language.
Our goal is to help you become a better communicator, and we hope you visit our site again real soon. We also welcome you to leave us a comment or a question below!
If the article or the existing discussions do not address a thought or question you have on the subject, please use the "Comment" box at the bottom of this page.
Another way to think about it: You usually want desserts to last longer (double s), but want to leave a desert faster (single s).
You know, I am normally very humble (not passive aggressive, but I genuinely mean it), but this time I must applaud myself. I am compelled to drop you a line because I have never ever read your article on desert vs. dessert before, yet “bright minds think alike”!
I started my tiny English learning center (in Hong Kong) back in November 2001 (I can’t believe how fast time flies). There are words that most kids often spell wrong, with these two words topping the “ten most misspelled words” list.
One day (decades ago) I had an epiphany about an effective way to teach the students how to spell and understand these two easily confused words. I said, “Don’t fret, because I also find it tricky to spell them correctly.” So now I would like to share a small trick on how to remember and spell them right—one s is for “sand,” so it is for the one s in desert, while ss is for “something sweet,” so that fits the ss in dessert perfectly! Then they rarely spell the two words wrong ever again.
GrammarBook is such a revered and trusted online language learning tool, with many bright minds and true scholars behind the working team and supervisory board to churn out wonderful tips, concepts, and new knowledge in learning English. And I, a small nondescript nobody with just one language cert, in fact teach students the same “no-brainer trick” here! Bravo!