scatter vs spatter

scatter

verb
  • To distribute loosely as by sprinkling. 

  • To (cause to) separate and go in different directions; to disperse. 

  • Of a pitcher: to keep down the number of hits or walks. 

  • To deflect (radiation or particles). 

  • To occur or fall at widely spaced intervals. 

  • To frustrate, disappoint, and overthrow. 

  • To be dispersed upon. 

noun
  • The act of scattering or dispersing. 

  • A collection of dispersed objects. 

spatter

verb
  • To distribute (a liquid) by sprinkling; to sprinkle around. 

  • To cover, or lie upon (something) by having been scattered, as if by splashing. 

  • To send out or disperse (something) as if in droplets. 

  • To send out small droplets; to splash in small droplets (on or against something). 

  • To splash (someone or something) with small droplets. 

noun
  • A spray or shower of droplets hitting a surface. 

  • A spot or spots of a substance spattered on a surface. 

  • A burst or series of sounds resembling the sound of droplets hitting a surface. 

  • A collection of objects scattered like droplets splashed onto a surface. 

  • The sound of droplets hitting a surface. 

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