A dessert is a sweet food served at the end of a meal. When your family finishes dinner and brings out ice cream, cake, or pie, that's dessert.

Desserts come in countless varieties: cookies, brownies, pudding, fruit tarts, cheesecake, or a simple bowl of berries with cream. Some families serve dessert every night, while others save it for special occasions. At a birthday party, the dessert is usually the cake with candles. At Thanksgiving, families might argue over whether pumpkin pie or apple pie makes the better dessert.

People sometimes confuse dessert with desert (a dry, sandy place), but here's an easy way to remember the difference: dessert has two S's because you always want seconds of dessert!

The word can also describe the course itself: “What's for dessert tonight?” or “We're having dessert at my grandparents' house.” Some restaurants have entire dessert menus featuring a dozen sweet options. Whether it's a homemade chocolate chip cookie or an elaborate French pastry, dessert is that satisfying sweet treat that marks the end of a good meal.