flicker vs twinkle

flicker

noun
  • A short moment. 

  • Any of certain small woodpeckers, especially of the genus Colaptes. 

  • One who flicks. 

  • An unsteady flash of light. 

verb
  • To flutter or flap. 

  • To burn or shine unsteadily, or with a wavering light. 

  • To keep going on and off; to appear and disappear for short moments; to flutter. 

twinkle

noun
  • A brief moment; a twinkling. 

  • The female genitalia. 

  • A sparkle or glimmer of light. 

  • A sparkle of delight in the eyes. 

  • A flitting movement. 

verb
  • To bat, blink or wink the eyes. 

  • To be bright with delight. 

  • To flit to and fro. 

  • To shine with a flickering light; to glimmer. 

How often have the words flicker and twinkle occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )