lighten, lightening, lightning

The verb lighten means to reduce weight or increase brightness.

  • Talking about problems and sharing solutions help to lighten the burden of parenting.
  • This software will help you to lighten the colours in a dark photograph.

The noun meaning “an increase in brightness” is lightening (with an e).

  • A noticeable lightening occurred in the eastern sky before sunrise.

The electrical discharge in the sky is lightning (no e).

  • Lightning struck the water tower on Queen Street last night.

Copyright notice for Writing Tips Plus

© His Majesty the King in Right of Canada, represented by the Minister of Public Services and Procurement
A tool created and made available online by the Translation Bureau, Public Services and Procurement Canada

Search by related themes

Want to learn more about a theme discussed on this page? Click on a link below to see all the pages on the Language Portal of Canada that relate to the theme you selected. The search results will be displayed in Language Navigator.