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Original · left

Sprite (fairy or soda)

A legendary elfin spirit, wood fairy, or a brand of lemon-lime carbonated soda.

First in use: ancient / pre-modern
Duplicate · right

Sprite (computer graphics)

A standalone two-dimensional bitmap or graphical asset positioned and animated dynamically on a digital display.

First in use: the 1970s

Sprite / Sprite (fairy or soda) / Sprite (computer graphics)

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Duplicate share · 12 mo—
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Colour keyGrey · original meaningGreen · duplicate meaningAmber · contested (40–60%)How colours work

Fairies and lemon-lime soda vs. game graphics.

Which meaning of Sprite is the original, and which one is the duplicate riding on its name? Sprite (fairy or soda) came first (ancient / pre-modern). Sprite (computer graphics) arrived in the 1970s. The data below shows which one owns the word now.

Wikipedia pageviews since 2015

Sprite (fairy or soda)Sprite (computer graphics)
English Wikipedia pageviews since July 2015 load here.

Duplicate's share of attention

Green line = duplicate's % · above 60 it owns the word · below 40 the original does

Share-of-attention line loads here.

The case for each meaning

Sourced definitions, usage stats and quotes

Original · ancient / pre-modern

Sprite (fairy or soda)

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Duplicate · the 1970s

Sprite (computer graphics)

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More duplicated terms

Design & UX