Storms · Weather
lightning
bright electric flash
Lightning is the bright flash of electricity that appears during a storm.
This vs that
We saw lightning.
We heard thunder.
Hear it in real life
Did you see that?
Yes, that was lightning.
The lightning lit up the whole sky for a second.
Which sounds natural?
Psst — which one would you actually say?
The everyday phrase is concrete and avoids a technical-sounding description.
The mistake everyone makes
Not: I saw a lightning in the sky.
Say: I saw lightning in the sky.
'Lightning' is normally uncountable; say 'a flash of lightning' for one flash.
Say it together
Whole chunks natives use with it.
a flash of lightning
A flash of lightning lit up the room through the curtains.
We saw a flash of lightning over the hills.
Storms words
Weather · Storms: the words around “lightning”.
More connectionsEasy to mix up · More storms words5
More storms words
Your turn: say it out loud
There was a flash of lightning.
Say it out loud two or three times, until it feels like yours.
lightning
bright electric flash
“The lightning lit up the whole sky for a second.”
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