Sunday, November 6, 2011

Lightening & Lightning

WITH an e – becoming lighter.
WithOUT an e – that stuff that shoots out of the clouds and seems to have a grudge against trees.

4 comments:

  1. I never would have thought of these two as homophones because they sound different enough in my mind. Though when I think about hearing them in the course of speech...well, I can hear the similarity.

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  2. Technically, lightning has two syllables and lightening has three. But, as you say, in the course of speech they're quite similar. And unfortunately I see "lightning" misspelled as "lightening" frequently. So, for me, it made the cut.

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  3. Google dictionary thinks differently.

    Lightning: The occurrence of a natural electrical discharge of very short duration and high voltage between a cloud and the ground or within a cloud, accompanied by a bright flash and typically also thunder.
    Lightening: A drop in the level of the uterus during the last weeks of pregnancy as the head of the fetus engages in the pelvis.
    Lighting: 1) Equipment in a home, workplace, studio, theater, or street for producing light. 2) The arrangement or effect of lights.

    So what is correct?

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  4. I know, I'm constantly mixing up thunderstorms with uterine anatomy.

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