starling
/ˈstɑɹlɪŋ/
noun
Familiar
1.n.gregarious birds native to the Old World
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starling and starving differ by a single letter, buried far enough into the word to be easy to miss. starling means “gregarious birds native to the Old World”. starving means “the act of depriving of food or subjecting to famine”. starving is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈstɑɹlɪŋ/
1.n.gregarious birds native to the Old World
/ˈstɑɹvɪŋ/
1.n.the act of depriving of food or subjecting to famine
“the besiegers used starvation to induce surrender”
2.adj.suffering from lack of food
| starling | starving | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈstɑɹlɪŋ/ | /ˈstɑɹvɪŋ/ |
| Said | STAHR-ling | STAHR-ving |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Letters | 8 | 8 |
| Parts of speech | noun | noun, adjective |
| Senses | 1 | 2 |
| How common | Familiar | Common |
| Synonyms | none recorded | starvation |
Full entry for starling · Full entry for starving · More comparisons