Ark Vs Arc. Are they interchangeable?

Forums: Arc, Ark, Grammar, Esl, English
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I've always thought that 'Noah's Ark' is the correct one, not 'Noah's arc.'

A friend of mine who speaks English quite well claimed that
native speakers do not distinguish 'arc' and 'ark', which I didn't buy.

Then, I chanced to see this expression, 'Noah's arc', an American cable television dramedy, from here :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noah%27s_Arc_%28TV_series%29

And I got confused.
Did they get the name changed on purpose for certain reasons?
Or was my friend right?

Are those two words interchangeable occasionally
or is it still generally considered as an error by most?

Thanks for reading.
I'd be looking forward to any of your comment.

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@SMickey,

They are not interchangeable.
arc = either part of a circumference in geometry or a description of electric sparking.
ark = Noah's boat or the housing of OT scrolls in as in the bible.

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@SMickey,

In my opinion as a native English speaker-- the correct spelling of the the mythical boat filled with animals is "Noah's ark". The spelling "Noah's arc" is incorrect.

In the case of the TV show, I think it is intended as a play on words... perhaps invoking one of the meanings of the word "arc". For example, a "story arc" is a set of shorter episodes, each with its own story, that together make a larger overarching story.

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@fresco,

So they can't be used interchangeably and whenever I get to see the phrase 'Noah's Arc', I should decide its spells are incorrect. Did I get it right?

Thank you Fresco.

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@maxdancona,

Thank you for using the term 'incorrect'. I'd like to say to my friend who thought they are interchangeable, 'No, you're mistaken. Noah's Arc' is definitely incorrect and those who speak correct English regard it as an error.

Thank you again Maxdancona.

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Noah's Arc is a drama/comedy series about black gay men in Los Angeles. The title is definitely a pun or play on words. Some have suggested that the word "arc" comes from the first letters of the names of the main character's three friends, Alex Ricky and Chance. Alternatively it could refer to the 'arc' of a character's storyline, or possibly they wanted a two-word title starting with Noah's name and 'arc' seemed an obvious choice and has no particular meaning.

Ark Vs Arc. Are they interchangeable?

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