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This pet peeve, desert being misused for dessert, is a little different from most. That's because desert can be pronounced in more than one way, depending on how it's being used--and one of its pronunciations is exactly like dessert. No wonder people get confused!
When used as a noun, the word desert describes a place, like the Mojave Desert or the Sahara Desert.
The word dessert refers to something sweet eaten at the end of a meal.
However, when it's used as a verb, desert is pronounced just like dessert: "The soldier decided to desert his post."
Okay, so if you're referring to something you eat, it's dessert. If you're referring to a place, it's desert. If you're talking about someone leaving a place, it's desert BUT it's pronounced just like dessert. Got it? :)
Still not sure which word is correct? Please post a comment below, or contact us on Twitter.
A lot of your pet peeves are vocabulary related. One of mine is when people say "these ones" or "those ones". Also when people say "literally" when they are talking about something figuratively. ex- "I literally crapped my pants when I heard that!" "You did??"
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