desert — dessert:
some typical desert land
“Desert” (with a single ‘s’; for the right pronunciation, as a noun & as a verb, please click here) is used as a noun and as a verb, with different meanings:
(a) as a noun, (pronounced with ‘de-zat’—the first ‘e’ sounds as in “depth” and the second ‘e’ rhymes with the letter ‘a’ in “about”) means ‘a large piece of barren land with very little plant life and almost without rain, often covered by sand’, and also ‘any place lacking something, such as culture, tradition, violence, etc.’,
deserting his family
(b) as a verb, (pronounced with ‘di-zut’—the first ‘e’ rhyming with the letter ‘i’ in “dip”) means ‘to leave or go away from something or somebody at a difficult time (when there is some problem), and also ‘to run away from one’s duty or responsibility, especially while on military duty’,
e.g.
The Sahara Desert in Africa is the largest desert in the world. [pronunciation: ‘de-zart’]
With hundreds of foreigners settled here, our town has become a cultural desert. [pronunciation: ‘de-zart’]
It is inhumane of him to desert his wife and three children in that poor condition. [pronunciation: ‘di-zut’]
__________________________
“Dessert” (with a double ‘s’ – pronunciation = rhymes with verb “desert” (b) – di-zaat — for the right pronunciation, please click here) means ‘a sweet food (a fruit or pudding item of food) eaten at the end of a main course of meal, usually at dinner’,
e.g.
Most brides avoid eating dessert as they go on a diet. [pronunciation: ‘di-zaat’]
