Difference between lightening and lightning

Difference between lightening and lightning

Last week, a photo popped up on my Facebook feed with the following caption:

Sitting beside the ocean listening to the waves and watching the lightening.

It prompted me to write this blog post about the difference between lightening (which the author used) and lightning (which the author meant).

Lightening is the process of making something lighter

My go-to lightening trick is to add a dab of white paint to the colour I’m painting with.

Lightning, on the other hand, is the celestial, flashing phenomenon that often accompanies thunderstorms.

The lightning show during last night’s storm was spectacular.

An easy way to remember the difference is that “lightening” contains the word “lighten”, so you know it refers to making something lighter.

By Kim Siever

I am a copywriter and copyeditor. I blog on writing and social media tips mostly, but I sometimes throw in my thoughts about running a small business. Follow me on Twitter at @hotpepper.