Flecked With: Standard Pattern
Flecked With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Use “flecked with” when something is marked or dotted with small spots, patches, or streaks of another material or colour.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Form / construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| small spots, patches, or streaks mark a surface | flecked with + material/colour | Use the documented “flecked with” pattern. |
| describe a broader covering rather than small marks | choose a verb that matches that meaning | Do not extend “flecked with” beyond its small-mark sense. |
Quick tests
Meaning / construction test
Are you describing small spots, patches, or streaks visible on something?
If yes: Use “flecked with.”
If no: Choose a different description if the marks are not small flecks or streaks.
Caveat: This guide is limited to the documented construction and small-mark meaning of “flecked with.”
Examples
The stone was flecked with gold.
The sentence describes small visible marks of another material.
Her dark hair was flecked with grey.
The construction describes scattered small streaks or strands.
The paper is flecked with blue.
The colour appears in small scattered marks.
Further guidance
Construction
Use “flecked with” when something is marked or dotted with small spots, patches, or streaks of another material or colour.
Style Boundary
Cambridge directly attests the verb construction “flecked with,” including hair flecked with gray. This page stays with the small-mark or spot sense.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- fleck — Cambridge English Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge Dictionary · Direct Cambridge dictionary evidence for “flecked with” meaning marked with small spots or streaks, including hair flecked with gray.