desert, dessert, just deserts

As a noun, desert refers to a dry, barren land.

• The goal of the Osoyoos Desert Centre Project is to preserve the Osoyoos region, Canada’s only arid desert environment.

Dessert is a sweet course eaten at the end of a meal.

• We ordered chocolate cake for dessert.

Just deserts are the deserved consequences of one’s actions. In this case, deserts is pronounced the same as desserts.

• The audience cheered when the villain was arrested and got his just deserts.

The verb desert means “to abandon.”

• In the second chapter, the hero refuses to desert his post and is captured.
• The old village was deserted.