thunderstruck

/ˈθʌn.də.stɹʌk/

//ˈθʌn.də.stɹʌk// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"thunderstruck" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“thunderstruck” is uncommon English (frequency #71,976 among 3,151 “T” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#71,976
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Astonished, amazed or so suddenly surprised as to be unable to speak.

Corpus desk

Index EN-thunderstruck · thunderstruck · English

thunderstruck · rank #71,976 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #71,976
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH thrombocytope…

Nearest frequency peer: thrombocytopenia (-1 rank slots)

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.

Long-tail ranks near “thunderstruck”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “thunderstruck” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for thunderstruck
PropertyValue
Headwordthunderstruck
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈθʌn.də.stɹʌk/
Letters13
Frequency rank#71,976
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “thunderstruck” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).thunderstruckfalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “thrombocytopenia” (#71,975), “throaty” (#71,974), “Titusville” (#71,978). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “thunderstruck” is #71,976. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

thunderstruck is uncommon English at frequency #71,976 among 3,151 “T” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈθʌn.də.stɹʌk/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Astonished, amazed or so suddenly surprised as to be unable to speak.".

No generated misspelling entries exist for thunderstruck in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: 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… The correct English form is thunderstruck, spelled T-H-U-N-D-E-R-S-T-R-U-C-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    Astonished, amazed or so suddenly surprised as to be unable to speak.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how thunderstruck appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. The overthrown he rais’d, and as a Heard Of Goats or timerous flock together throngd Drove them before him Thunder-struck,
  2. Therefore he whacked the old nigger mercilessly, while a big crowd of his people watched him, thunderstruck, till some man, - I was told the chief's son, - in desperation at hearing the old chap yell, made a tentative jab with a spear at the white man - and of course it went quite easy between the shoulder-blades.

Etymology

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 grǎm), Russian как гро́мом поражённый (kak grómom poražónnyj) (akin to гром (grom)). See also German wie vom Donner gerührt.

Synonyms

amazedastonishedastoundedawedoverawedoverwhelmedspeechlessstupefiedsurprised

This word in other languages

estupefacto(Español)stupéfié(Français)wie vom Donner gerührt(Deutsch)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "thunderstruck"?
"thunderstruck" is spelled T-H-U-N-D-E-R-S-T-R-U-C-K. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈθʌn.də.stɹʌk/.
What does "thunderstruck" mean?
As an adjective, "thunderstruck" means: Astonished, amazed or so suddenly surprised as to be unable to speak.
How do you pronounce "thunderstruck"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "thunderstruck" is /ˈθʌn.də.stɹʌk/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "thunderstruck"?
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 удар... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "thunderstruck", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 13 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

transcriptase#71,983synthetically#71,955swordsmanship#71,953anticlimactic#72,088

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list