plan vs plot

plan

noun
  • A set of intended actions, usually mutually related, through which one expects to achieve a goal. 

  • A drawing showing technical details of a building, machine, etc., with unwanted details omitted, and often using symbols rather than detailed drawing to represent doors, valves, etc. 

  • A subscription to a service. 

  • A method; a way of procedure; a custom. 

  • A two-dimensional drawing of a building as seen from above with obscuring or irrelevant details such as roof removed, or of a floor of a building, revealing the internal layout; as distinct from the elevation. 

verb
  • To create a plan for. 

  • To intend. 

  • To design (a building, machine, etc.). 

  • To make a plan. 

plot

noun
  • A plan; a purpose. 

  • An area or land used for building on or planting on. 

  • A graph or diagram drawn by hand or produced by a mechanical or electronic device. 

  • Participation in any stratagem or conspiracy. 

  • Contrivance; deep reach thought; ability to plot or intrigue. 

  • Attractive physical attributes of characters involved in a story, originating from ironic juxtaposition with the original meaning (course of the story). 

  • A secret plan to achieve an end, the end or means usually being illegal or otherwise questionable. 

  • The course of a story, comprising a series of incidents which are gradually unfolded, sometimes by unexpected means. 

verb
  • To mark (a point on a graph, chart, etc). 

  • To conceive (a crime, misdeed etc). 

  • To trace out (a graph or diagram). 

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