lightning
/ˈlaɪt.nɪŋ/noun, adjective, verb
lightning is spelled L-I-G-H-T-N-I-N-G: 9 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 17 times per million words in written English, the 4,934th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “lightening vs lightning” about 1,300 times a month (Google, United States). As a noun, lightning means “A flash of light produced by short-duration, high-voltage discharge of electricity within a cloud, between clouds, or between a cloud and the earth” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of lightning is lightnings.
How many letters and syllables are in lightning?
| Letters | 9: L-I-G-H-T-N-I-N-G |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 17 times per million words; the 4,934th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026).
How common is lightning?
Lightning appears 17 times per million words in written English, the 4,934th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce lightning?
- /ˈlaɪt.nɪŋ/
- US /ˈlaɪt.nɪŋ/
- US [ˈlʌɪ̯ʔ.nɪŋ]
Lightning has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-lightning.ogg, LL-Q7976_(mis)-Yadu_Amnus_(94ballboy)-lightning.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with lightning
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Also written: lightening.
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of lightning
- lightnings plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- lightninging participle, present
- lightninged participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does lightning mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A flash of light produced by short-duration, high-voltage discharge of electricity within a cloud, between clouds, or between a cloud and the earth.
Although we did not see the lightning, we did hear the thunder.
- 2
A discharge of this kind.
The lightning was hot enough to melt the sand.
- 3
Anything that moves very fast.
- 4
archaicslangGin.
- 5
obsoleteObsolete form of lightening.
adjective
- 1
Extremely fast or sudden; moving (as if) at the speed of lightning.
verb
- 1
nonstandardTo produce lightning.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Lightning in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | éclair, éloise , foudre |
| German | Blitz , Entladung |
| Portuguese | relâmpago , raio, corisco , veloz , relampear, relampejar |
| Spanish | relámpago, rayo, fucilazo, refucilo, candelazo , relampaguear |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does lightning come from?
From light(e)n + -ing. Doublet of lightening.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).