Dependant/Dependent
The noun that means “someone who depends on someone else” can be spelled either dependent or dependant . The adjective , meaning reliant , can only be spelled dependent .
My three dependants eat me out of house and home.
I am dependent on coffee to get me through the morning.
Desert/Dessert
The desert is that dry , hot place with cacti and lots of sand.If you desert somebody , you leave him by himself . Dessert , the food you eat after a meal , is so luscious that it gets an extra “s” .How to remember this one ? You always want two desserts , hence “s” appears twice . I don’t know about you , but I’d rather not spend more than one day in the desert.
It figures that our car’s air conditioning would break while we’re in the middle of a desert.
What do you mean there’s no dessert ? I have been craving chocolate ice cream all day .
Dieing/Dyeing/Dying
You’ll probably never have use for the word dieing , which means to use a specialized device ( a die ) to stamp or cut . Dying is what happens at the end of your life , and you are dyeing if you’re adding dye to something-like your hair or your clothes . I always wondered whether I was tie-dyeing or tie-dying .. now I know .
Yesterday , I was dieing sheet metal .
I’m afraid the hamster is dying .
At this time tomorrow , I’ll be dyeing my hair purple .
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