Desert and Dessert

What is the difference between desert and dessert?

Desert means arid land or to abandon.
Dessert is the sweet course at the end of a meal.

Desert or Dessert?

The words desert and dessert look similar, but they are very different in meaning.

Dessert

A dessert is typically the final course of a meal. It is usually sweet (e.g., ice cream, cake, pudding).
An example of a dessert

Desert

The word desert can be an adjective, noun, or verb. It has the following meanings:

Arid land with little or no vegetation.


The Sahara Desert
To abandon or to defect or to leave in the lurch. To leave behind.

Remembering Dessert

Here is an excellent way of remembering the difference between dessert and desert:

When you're stressed, you eat cake, chocolate, and sweets because 'stressed' is 'desserts' backwards.

(Yeah, I know. It's brilliant, isn't it?)

A Quick Test

Dessert Is Twice As Good

Here are some ways to remember desert and dessert:


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See Also

What are adjectives? What are nouns? What are verbs? List of easily confused words