What's the difference between spark and stark?

Spark


Definition:

  • (n.) A small particle of fire or ignited substance which is emitted by a body in combustion.
  • (n.) A small, shining body, or transient light; a sparkle.
  • (n.) That which, like a spark, may be kindled into a flame, or into action; a feeble germ; an elementary principle.
  • (n.) A brisk, showy, gay man.
  • (n.) A lover; a gallant; a beau.
  • (v. i.) To sparkle.
  • (v. i.) To play the spark, beau, or lover.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) But the Franco-British spat sparked by Dave's rejection of Angela and Nicolas's cunning plan to save the euro has been given wings by news the US credit agencies may soon strip France of its triple-A rating and is coming along very nicely, thank you. "
  • (2) Gove said in the interview that he did not want to be Tory leader, claiming that he lacked the "extra spark of charisma and star quality" possessed by others.
  • (3) The "Dream Toys" for Christmas list includes a few old favourites alongside some new, and sparkly, additions.
  • (4) The countries have accused each other of cross-border attacks and there are fears the current tension could spark a wider war with Nkunda at its centre.
  • (5) The cost-cutting shakeup is being overseen by NHS England, but is already sparking a series of local political battles over the future of services, and exposes the health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, to fresh criticism after his controversial role in the junior doctors dispute.
  • (6) The army has said it will deploy troops on the streets on that day, while the president says he may introduce a state of emergency if, as expected, the protests spark widespread civil unrest.
  • (7) The protests have sparked an exodus of Chinese nationals, many of whom have fled to neighbouring countries or further.
  • (8) Increased wear-resistance of microsurgical instruments by facing, electric spark alloying and vacuum surfacing increases the working life of the instruments by 1.5-3 times.
  • (9) It was sparked by Ferguson's decision to sue Magnier over the lucrative stud fees now being earned by retired racehorse Rock of Gibraltar, which the Scot used to co-own.
  • (10) I think it would have been appropriate and right and respectful of people’s feelings to have done so.” There was also confusion over Labour policy sparked by conflicting comments made by Corbyn and his new shadow work and pensions secretary, Owen Smith.
  • (11) He was the peaceful activist whose sudden disappearance into a phalanx of riot police on a Baltimore street sparked a viral panic.
  • (12) The incident in Aswan that sparked Sunday's protest was an attack on a church that attackers claimed was being built illegally.
  • (13) The amendment has sparked a particular backlash against the senator widely regarded as responsible for the decision, Ahmed Yerima, who is reported to have married a 13-year old Egyptian girl.
  • (14) We have designated this phenomenon the sparking of growth, in which cholestanol satisfies an overall membrane sterol requirement and ergosterol fulfills a high specificity sparking function.
  • (15) Despite reasonable evidence suggesting the plot letter is a hoax , it has sparked debate in the city, with far right groups looking to capitalise while some prominent Muslims claim the allegations are baseless and rooted in Islamophobia.
  • (16) As the later Spark might have said, a mortal sin against the commandment to love beauty wherever one may find it.
  • (17) Griffin vowed to lodge a complaint at the "unfair" way the Question Time programme was produced, despite the BNP's claims that his appearance sparked the "biggest single recruitment night in the party's history".
  • (18) He claimed the blaze was sparked by overheated cables setting light to stacks of toilet roll.
  • (19) Some of the world’s largest investment firms have thrown their weight behind efforts to combat smoking, sparking renewed calls for UK local authorities to divest all their shares in the tobacco industry from their pension fund investments.
  • (20) The results surpassed all expectations and the change process has instilled a new sense of pride among nurses at the hospital and sparked the development of training sessions for other nurses in the region.

Stark


Definition:

  • (n.) Stiff; rigid.
  • (n.) Complete; absolute; full; perfect; entire.
  • (n.) Strong; vigorous; powerful.
  • (n.) Severe; violent; fierce.
  • (n.) Mere; sheer; gross; entire; downright.
  • (adv.) Wholly; entirely; absolutely; quite; as, stark mind.
  • (v. t.) To stiffen.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) World leaders must reach a historic agreement to fight climate change and poverty at coming talks in Paris, facing the stark choice to either “improve or destroy the environment”, Pope Francis said in Africa on Thursday.
  • (2) Facebook Twitter Pinterest No shake: Donald Trump snubs Angela Merkel during photo op The piece of pantomime was in stark contrast to the visit of Theresa May in January.
  • (3) But as a former Eurocrat, he is well-versed in the weaknesses and believes it is right to highlight them in stark language.
  • (4) These achievements, and faults, will find stark contrast with Trump’s administration; certainly Trump’s nominations for key positions in his cabinet that relate to climate change have prompted alarm by experts and campaigners.
  • (5) An ethnic breakdown of other opinion-formers, from book reviewers to theatre critics, would be just as stark.
  • (6) Paul*, from Essex, a father of two daughters, has experienced those starkly differing standards.
  • (7) Friends of the Earth's executive director, Andy Atkins, said: "We can't continue to ignore the stark warnings of the catastrophic consequences of climate change on the lives and livelihoods of people across the planet.
  • (8) She went on to deliver a stark warning that leaving the single market would deter international investors from Britain and lead major companies to question whether they should relocate to mainland Europe.
  • (9) This was in stark contrast to my comprehensive school.
  • (10) Their differences highlight Northern Ireland’s often stark dichotomy between religious-based social conservatism and secular progressive liberalism.
  • (11) By global city standards even those are quite clean and orderly, but compared with the rest of the city they offer a stark contrast.
  • (12) Dig deeper into the funding numbers – the real story of national politics in the post Citizens United age – and the Tea Party realignment of the GOP stands out yet more starkly.
  • (13) The inequalities that have been allowed to emerge in this one street are so stark they recall an era as long past as the period of its houses.
  • (14) A glance at today's Sun provides a stark reminder that constitutional reform is no way to win easy plaudits from the papers that most voters read.
  • (15) Although the Kyoto agreement only measures production, the stark difference in the figures highlights a key controversy in negotiations about a new treaty – which will continue at a big UN meeting in Cancún, Mexico, in December : some developing countries, such as China, argue they should not be held responsible for emissions generated by consumption in rich nations.
  • (16) It is a stark contrast to expectations before the vote to leave the EU, when the next move in interest rates was seen as likely to be upwards.
  • (17) The next few days may well determine whether, this time, such loyalty will be in vain; but, while yearning for a clarion call and what was described as "vision" in this paper's leading article yesterday, I need to pose some pretty stark questions to Guardian readers.
  • (18) They included Lena Heady (Queen Cersei Lannister), Kit Harington (Jon Snow), Conleth Hill (Lord Varys), Rose Leslie (Ygritte), 17-year-old Maisie Williams (Arya Stark) and 18-year-old Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark).
  • (19) The orderly village of Agulodiek in Ethiopia's western Gambella region stands in stark contrast to Elay, a settlement 5km west of Gambella town, where collapsed straw huts strewn with cracked clay pots lie among a tangle of bushes.
  • (20) The next three years of negotiations on the treaty will be the hardest in the 20-year history of climate change talks because the world has changed enormously since 1992, when the UN convention on climate change was signed, and 1997, when the Kyoto protocol enshrined a stark division between developed countries – which were required to cut emissions – and developing countries, which were not.