speckle vs sprinkle

speckle

noun
  • The random distribution of light when it is scattered by a rough surface. 

  • A small spot or speck on the skin, plumage or foliage. 

  • Kind; sort. 

  • A cluster of interchromatin granules in a nucleus. 

verb
  • To mark with speckles. 

sprinkle

noun
  • A light covering with a sprinkled substance. 

  • An aspersorium or utensil for sprinkling. 

  • A light rain shower. 

  • A small hard piece of sugar and starch, or chocolate, used to decorate cakes etc. 

verb
  • To cover (an object) by sprinkling a substance on to it. 

  • To drip in fine drops, sometimes sporadically. 

  • To baptize by the application of a few drops, or a small quantity, of water; hence, to cleanse; to purify. 

  • To rain very lightly outside. 

  • To cause (a substance) to fall in fine drops (for a liquid substance) or small pieces (for a solid substance). 

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