flicker vs sparkle

flicker

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

  • To flutter or flap. 

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

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

  • One who flicks. 

  • An unsteady flash of light. 

  • A short moment. 

sparkle

verb
  • To shine as if throwing off sparks; to emit flashes of light; to scintillate; to twinkle 

  • To manifest itself by, or as if by, emitting sparks; to glisten; to flash. 

  • To emit sparks; to throw off ignited or incandescent particles 

  • To emit little bubbles, as certain kinds of liquors; to effervesce 

  • To emit in the form or likeness of sparks. 

noun
  • Brilliance; luster. 

  • Liveliness; vivacity. 

  • The quality of being sparkling or fizzy; effervescence. 

  • A little spark; a scintillation. 

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