Dessicate or desiccate?
Did you mean desiccate? Here's the right spelling and how to remember it.
Incorrect
dessicate
Correct
desiccate
Correct spelling: desiccate. Misspelling: dessicate.
letters the misspelling gets wrong or leaves out letters that shouldn't be there
Memory tip
One S, double C: de-SIC-CATE. Think "one Sun, Cooking Crisply".
Why people write “dessicate”
“dessicate” differs from “desiccate” in 2 places: it doubles the S, which desiccate spells with just one; and it uses a single C where desiccate has a double CC.
Spell-checkers catch the mistake in a document, but not in a handwritten note, a text message or a word game. Writing the word out a few times while saying the tricky part aloud is the quickest way to make desiccate automatic.
Other misspellings of “desiccate”
People also write “desicate”. Here is where each one goes wrong.
“desicate”
Correct spelling: desiccate. Misspelling: desicate.
letters the misspelling gets wrong or leaves out letters that shouldn't be there
The misspelling “desicate” is only one letter off: it uses a single C where desiccate has a double CC.
What does “desiccate” mean?
desiccate verb
desiccate adjective
- lacking vitality or spirit; lifeless
“a technically perfect but arid performance of the sonata”
Synonyms:ariddesiccated
Definitions from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Full dictionary entry
“Desiccate” in a sentence
- The heat will desiccate the soil.
- Carry dehydrated food on your camping trip.
- All this exercise and sweating has dehydrated me.
- In the desert, you get dehydrated very quickly.
Is “desiccate” a playable word?
14 points in Scrabble · 16 in Words With Friends
- Scrabble (US)
- Scrabble (UK)
- Words With Friends
“dessicate” is not accepted in any of these games. See every word you can make from DESICCATE.