Desert, spelled with one S, refers to a dry region. Dessert, spelled with two S's, refers to a sweet dish eaten after a meal. Sometimes, though, desert is an entirely different word referring to what you deserve, especially in the phrase just deserts.

Is desert and desert spelled the same?

Desert and desert are two words that are spelled identically but are pronounced differently and have different meanings, which makes them heteronyms. These word pairs are often misused words.

Is desert a homophone?

A homophone for 'desert,' when it is used to mean 'to leave or abandon,' is the word 'dessert,' defined as a sweet treat.