thunderbolt
/ˈθʌndə(ɹ)ˌboʊlt/noun, verb
thunderbolt is spelled T-H-U-N-D-E-R-B-O-L-T: 11 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 1.2 times per million words in written English, the 25,751st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, thunderbolt means “A flash of lightning accompanied by a crash of thunder” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of thunderbolt is thunderbolts.
How many letters and syllables are in thunderbolt?
| Letters | 11: T-H-U-N-D-E-R-B-O-L-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.2 times per million words; the 25,751st most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in 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).
How common is thunderbolt?
Thunderbolt appears 1.2 times per million words in written English, the 25,751st 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 thunderbolt?
- /ˈθʌndə(ɹ)ˌboʊlt/
Thunderbolt has 3 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vininn126-thunderbolt.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of thunderbolt
- thunderbolts plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- thunderbolting participle, present
- thunderbolted participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does thunderbolt mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A flash of lightning accompanied by a crash of thunder.
- 2
An event that is terrible, horrific or unexpected.
News of the actress’s death came as a thunderbolt to her fans.
- 3
Vehement threatening or censure; especially, ecclesiastical denunciation; fulmination.
- 4
A very powerful shot.
- 5
A belemnite, or thunderstone.
- 6
A charge in the form of two joined bundles with four rays of lightning emerging from them, resembling the thunderbolt of Jupiter.
- 7
A daring or irresistible hero.
verb
- 1
rareTo strike with a thunderbolt.
- 2
rareTo move swiftly and violently.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Thunderbolt in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense flash of lightning accompanied by thunder:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | coup de tonnerre |
| German | Donnerkeil, Blitzstrahl, Blitz mit Donnerschlag |
| Portuguese | raio |
| Spanish | rayo |
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 thunderbolt come from?
From thunder + bolt.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).