Desert or dessert: which is correct?
Correct
desert (dry land; to abandon) / dessert (the sweet course)
Avoid
desert (for the sweet course)
Avoid
dessert (for dry land)
Summary
Correct: desert (dry land; to abandon) / dessert (the sweet course) — Avoid: desert (for the sweet course) / dessert (for dry land). Desert = a dry, barren region (noun) or to abandon (verb); dessert = the sweet course at the end of a meal.
- Part of speech
- noun, verb / noun
- Source
- Merriam-Webster
Why
Merriam-Webster: dessert has a double s and the stress on the second syllable; desert with one s is the arid region (stress on the first syllable) or the verb to abandon. The classic mnemonic: strawberry shortcake has two s's, like dessert.
Examples
- Camels can cross the desert for days without water.
- We had ice cream for dessert.
Check your own text: Spell Checker
Catch typos and common misspellings in American or British English, with suggestions, checked right in your browser.
Native spelling engine
- Checked against
- Merriam-Webster / Oxford
- Spelling authority
- Merriam-Webster · Oxford English Dictionary / Oxford spelling · SCOWL
- Commonly confused and non-standard forms
- 64
- Dictionary
- Hunspell en_US / en_GB / en_AU / en_CA · Dictionary license: MIT AND BSD (SCOWL combined licence)