Eggcorn Forum

The -let diminutive in English, which has given us words such as “piglet,” “eyelet,” and “booklet,” has tapered off slightly since its major expansion in eighteenth century. An exception to this lowered enthusiasm in -let diminutives is the word “starlet.” Once used to describe a small star in the sky, it now refers to a promising performer, either on stage on in the arena. The OED’s first citation for this metaphorical meaning of “starlet” is dated 1920. The COCA database of post-1990 English yields over 200 examples in its 360 million words.

On over a hundred different web sites we find the phrase “Hollywood starlit” or “movie starlit.” Examples:

Supermodel bio: “So in her short few years as a star, Eva Mendes has really exploded fast as a Hollywood starlit and on to modeling industry.” (http://www.supermodels-online.com/month … vasept.htm)

Web fiction: “Lisa looked like a classic Hollywood starlit and seemed very sweet. ” (http://www.literotica.com/stories/shows … ?id=368608)

News release on new web site: “Not only will you find information on Marilyn Monroe, but you will see the time and effort that was put forth for you to enjoy every detail of the Hollywood starlit. ” (http://www.prweb.com/releases/2004/10/prweb169930.htm)

A sermon: “No aspiring movie starlit was ever taken from such oblivion and raised to such a high place of importance in so short a time.” (http://www.fpchammond.org/S010720.htm)

Diminutives ending in the “-let” suffix are readily misspelled as “-lit.” You will find Christopher Robin’s friend “Piglit,” for example, mentioned on numerous web pages. For most of these let/lit confusions the eggcorn potential is low. “Starlit,” however, may have some claim to eggcorn status. The adjective “starlit,” made visible by star light, may be exercising some influence on this misspelling of “starlet.” A promising actor could be thought of as illuminated by the stars of destiny, or as a star basking in the spotlights of the theater.