“I'd love some desert after dinner.”
Confusables Entry 1250 / 1350 60-second read
Dessert vs. Desert
The sweet course after a meal versus a dry, sandy landscape (and, rarely, to abandon).
The comparisoni
“I'd love some dessert after dinner — two Ss for the sweet course. Desert (one S) is sand or abandonment.”
The ruleii
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DESSERT = sweet (2 Ss). DESERT = sand (1 S).
DESSERT (two Ss) is the sweet course after a meal. DESERT (one S, noun) is a dry region; (verb, stress on 2nd syllable) to abandon. Mnemonic: dessert has two Ss because you want second helpings; desert has one because there's only one dune.
Memory aidiii
Remember it like this
Dessert = 2 Ss, 2 helpings.