Dessert, the delicious sweet course after a meal, is spelled with two S's. Desert, the dry, arid land, is spelled with one S. It's easy to understand the difference and remember the spelling by learning a few mnemonic devices andlooking at the origins of the words.
Definitions
Dessert is the finalcourse, usually sweet, of a meal.
Desert can be used as a noun or a verb. As a noun,desert refers toa dry, arid region. As a verb,it means to abandon.
Even if you trypronouncingthe words for spelling (such as mentally pronouncing Wednesday Wed-NES-day), dessert and desert can beconfusing. Commonspelling rules would suggest that dessert is pronounced /dezert/ (with a short e sound) because the e is followed by two consonants. Desert would be pronounced /dezert/ (with a long e sound) because it is followed by only one consonant.
However, even the pronunciation keys for each word in the dictionary look essentially the same: /dəˈzərt/ (sweets eaten after a meal),/dəˈzərt/ (to leave behind), /dezərt/ (wasteland).
How to Remember How to Spell Dessert and Desert
One of the best ways to remember how to spell tricky words is to use a mnemonic device. A mnemonic device is a memory tool that helps a person to remember larger bits of information — or tricky-to-spell words — with something easier to remember such as a phrase or rhyme. One example that many people are familiar with is Roy G. Biv for remembering the order of the color spectrum—red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet.
Try thesemnemonics to help you remember how to spell dessert and desert:
- Dessert is twice as nice as a desert.
- Desserts spelled backward is stressed. (And maybe you eat dessert when you're stressed.)
- Strawberry shortcake (two S’s) is for dessert. Sand (one "s")is for desert.
- It’s too dry in the desert for two S’s to grow.
Another way to remember how to spell a word is to investigate and understand its origins. This study of word origins is called etymology.
Etymology of the Word Dessert
Dessert has its roots in the French language. According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word developed in the mid-16th century from the French words des, meaning the last course or removal, and servir, meaning to serve.
So, desservir meant to clear the table or to remove the previous courses. It came to refer to the dish (usually sweets) served after the main course had been removed from the table.
Understanding the origins of the word dessert,des + servir, helps the two S’s in the wordmake more sense.
Correct examples of the worddessert in a sentence:
- The restaurant serves chocolate cake and apple pie for dessert.
- Tiramisu is a traditional Italian dessert.
Meanwhile, here are a few incorrect examples:
- The shipwrecked sailor was stranded on a desserted island for two years. (At least it was a “desserted” so he didn’t have to worry about going hungry!)
- The streets are so desserted after midnight. (Sounds like a great time to go pick up atasty treat since the streets are filled with sweets.)
Etymology of Desert
To make matters more confusing, there are two meaningsand two pronunciationsfor the word desert. Both are derived from Latin.
The verb desert, meaning to leave or abandon, comes from the worddesertus, which also means to leave or abandon. It is pronounced with a long e (as in he) and the emphasis is on the first syllable, /de’ zert/.
The noun desert, meaning an arid, sandy region, is derived from the Latin worddesertum, meaning something left to waste or awasteland. (Both desertus and desertum are different cases of the same word.) Desert, the dry wasteland, is pronounced with a short e (like the first sound in elephant) and the second syllable is stressed.
As with dessert, when you understand the origins of the word desert, the spelling makes sense because the Latin word from which desert is derived has only one S.
Examples of theverb desert in a sentence:
- A soldier who deserts the army can get into serious trouble.
- Please don’t desert me in my hour of need.
Examples of the noun desert in a sentence:
- One of my favorite desert plants is the cactus.
- The world’s largest subtropical desert is the Sahara, but Antarctica is considered a desert (polar), too, and is the world's largest!
Incorrect examples of desert:
- She said, “Please don’t dessert me.” (Are you sure? Cake or pie would be nice.)
- It was difficult to cross the dry, sandy dessert. (That must have been one poorly baked cake!)
Finally, have you ever heard the expression “just deserts”? Many people think it’s “just desserts,” which makes the phrase a bit curious since it means that someone got what they deserved. Did they deserve cake and ice cream?
No. The correct phrase is “just deserts,” from yet another, lesser-known meaning of the word desert. The word can also be a noun meaning a suitable reward or punishment.
As an enthusiast with a deep understanding of language and linguistics, I'm well-versed in the intricacies of spelling, pronunciation, and etymology. Let me demonstrate my expertise by delving into the concepts discussed in the article about the distinction between "dessert" and "desert."
Firstly, the article rightly emphasizes the importance of correct spelling and pronunciation. The confusion between "dessert" and "desert" arises due to their similar spellings and pronunciations, making them prone to errors.
The article introduces the concept of mnemonic devices, which are memory aids to help remember tricky words. In this case, mnemonic phrases like "Dessert is twice as nice as a desert" or "Strawberry shortcake is for dessert" provide a clever way to recall the correct spellings.
Moreover, the article touches upon the field of etymology, the study of word origins. Etymology is crucial in understanding why words are spelled and pronounced the way they are. For "dessert," the etymology traces back to French, where "desservir" means to clear the table or remove previous courses. This knowledge helps explain the presence of two S's in "dessert" as it refers to the final course served after the main meal.
Similarly, the article explores the etymology of "desert." The word has dual meanings and pronunciations, both stemming from Latin origins. As a verb meaning to leave or abandon, "desert" comes from "desertus," while as a noun referring to an arid region, it comes from "desertum." Understanding these linguistic roots clarifies the spelling differences—one S for the noun and two S's for the verb.
In summary, the article effectively navigates through spelling rules, pronunciation keys, mnemonic devices, and etymology to help readers distinguish between "dessert" and "desert." It provides valuable insights into the origins of these words, making the intricacies of language more accessible to those seeking clarity.
