lightning rod
/ˈlaɪtnɪŋ ˌɹɒd/
"lightning-rod" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“lightning rod” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 13
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A metallic conductor that is attached to a high point of a building and leads to the ground to protect the building from damage by lightning.
Corpus desk
Index EN-lightning-rod · lightning rod · English
lightning rod · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 13 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "L" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern
Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | lightning rod |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈlaɪtnɪŋ ˌɹɒd/ |
| Letters | 13 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “lightning rod” in English
Rare enough to double-check
lightning rod is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈlaɪtnɪŋ ˌɹɒd/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
No generated misspelling entries exist for lightning rod in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct English form is lightning rod, spelled L-I-G-H-T-N-I-N-G- -R-O-D.
Definition
- 1A metallic conductor that is attached to a high point of a building and leads to the ground to protect the building from damage by lightning.
- 2A person or thing that is a target for negative reactions and distracts criticism from another target.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how lightning rod appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
"My special business is to travel the country for orders for lightning-rods. This is my specimen rod;" tapping his staff; "I have the best of references"-fumbling in his pockets. "In Criggan last month, I put up three-and-twenty rods on only five buildings."
Another factor was that when the two governments changed Stormont’s rules in 2006 they left the dual premiership as the “lightning rod for other difficulties”, said [Brendan] O’Leary.
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.