A monocot has only one seed leaf (monocot is short for 'monocotyledon'.

A cotyledon is a seed leaf, and 'mono' means one). This seed leaf is usually the same
shape as the adult leaf, long and thin, and the leaf veins nearly always run parallel to
the central midrib. Sometimes, the adult leaves are pinnate, as in many palms, but the
veins are parallel on each leaflet. There are several monocot plant families that are
instantly recognisable. Many food plants are grasses. So crops like wheat, oats, barley
and sweetcorn are all monocots. Palms, Orchids, and most bulbous plants are
monocots.

A dicot has two cotyledons (dicot is short for 'dicotyledon', and 'di' means two). The
seed leaves are usually rounded and fat, because they are the two halves of the seed.
The first true leaves can be many different shapes, from long and thin to rounded or
palmate. Most trees and shrubs and many garden annuals and perennials are dicots,
and there are many more species of dicots than there are monocots.

Monocots have only one seed leaf inside the seed coat. It is often only a thin leaf, because the
endosperm to feed the new plant is not inside the seed leaf. Dicots have two seed leaves
inside the seed coat. They are usually rounded and fat, because they contain the endosperm to
feed the embryo plant.
Monocot seeds include garlic, onion, corn, rice, wheat, asparagus, lilies and orchids. These seeds are
classified as monocots because they only have one cotyledon inside of their seeds

What Are Cotyledons?

If you're going to count the number of cotyledons, it helps to know what they are. These are the first
leaves a flowering plant produces, and they're often called seed leaves because they're part of the seed,
not really party of the mature plant. These leaves give the plant access to the seed's stored nutrients to
nourish it until the plant develops its true leaves. True leaves are those which do the work of
photosynthesis.

More About Dicots

Dicots, or dicotyledonous seeds, have two cotyledons and contain endosperms inside
of their seeds. They produce plants with thick, wide leaves. Examples of dicot seeds
include peppers, cabbage, turnips, tomatoes, apples, carrots, potatoes and celery.
Dicots produce large leaves, which in turn nourish new dicot seeds.

What About Plants Without Cotyledons?

There are plants that don't have cotyledons, placing them squarely outside the
monocot vs. dicot grouping. These are nonflowering plants. Examples include those
that form spores like ferns or those like evergreens that form cones instead of
cotyledons.