Ice Cream
Ice creams, broadly speaking, are frozen concoctions made with milk and/or cream, eggs, sugar and a flavoring: vanilla, chocolate, coffee, praline, fruit, etc. Making them requires skill and dexterity to beat the mixture in a refrigerated environment until it solidifies. Therefore more "technique" is involved in making ice cream than sorbet.

For some purists, the above products are actually "ices" or "ice milks," depending on the preparation. True ice cream is essentially an ice to which whipped cream is added at the point at which the mixture begins to set, for a smoother and creamier final product.

Sorbet
Sorbets are made exclusively from fresh fruit and sugar… that's all! The goal when making a sorbet is to achieve a happy medium: a good balance between flavor and texture. The choice of fruit is extremely important. It should be slightly overripe with well-developed flavors so the true taste of the fruit will come through in the sorbet.

Sherbet
American-style sherbet is a fruit-based product that differs from sorbet by its firmer texture and by the fact that it often contains milk.

Granita
Granita is the Italian word (granité in French) for a granular frozen mixture of water, sugar and a flavoring such as fruit purée, wine etc. The mixture is stirred as it freezes to produce its distinctive texture. A granita is sometimes called an "ice" in English.