thunderstruck
/ˈθʌn.dɚ.stɹʌk/adjective
thunderstruck is spelled T-H-U-N-D-E-R-S-T-R-U-C-K: 13 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 6 million words in written English, the 71,529th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, thunderstruck means “Astonished, amazed or so suddenly surprised as to be unable to speak” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in thunderstruck?
| Letters | 13: T-H-U-N-D-E-R-S-T-R-U-C-K |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 6 million words; the 71,529th 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 thunderstruck?
Thunderstruck appears about once in every 6 million words in written English, the 71,529th 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 thunderstruck?
- UK /ˈθʌn.də.stɹʌk/
- US /ˈθʌn.dɚ.stɹʌk/
Thunderstruck 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: En-us-thunderstruck.ogg, En-au-thunderstruck.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of thunderstruck
- more thunderstruck comparative
- most thunderstruck superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does thunderstruck mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Astonished, amazed or so suddenly surprised as to be unable to speak.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Thunderstruck in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense astonished, amazed or so suddenly surprised as to be unable to speak:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | stupéfié, abasourdi |
| German | wie vom Donner gerührt |
| Spanish | estupefacto |
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 thunderstruck come from?
From thunder + struck. Compare synonymous and cognate Latin attonitus. Also compare typologically Ancient Greek ἐμβρόντητος (embróntētos) (< βροντή (brontḗ)) (whence Greek εμβρόντητος (emvróntitos)); Czech ohromený (< ohromit), Bulgarian като ударен от гръм (kato udaren ot grăm), Russian как гро́мом поражённый (kak grómom poražónnyj) (akin to гром (grom)). See also German wie vom Donner gerührt.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).