Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

lightning rod

/ˈlaɪtnɪŋ ˌɹɒd/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.88 in modern English

Syllables: light-ning rod
IPA: /ˈlaɪtnɪŋ ˌɹɒd/

18

Scrabble Score

12

Letters

2

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A metallic conductor that is attached to a high point of a building and leads to the ground to protect the building from damage by lightning.

noun

A person or thing that is a target for negative reactions and distracts criticism from another target.

Example Sentences

""My special business is to travel the country for orders for lightning-rods. This is my specimen rod;" tapping his staff; "I have the best of references"-fumbling in his pockets. "In Criggan last month, I put up three-and-twenty rods on only five buildings.""
"Another factor was that when the two governments changed Stormont’s rules in 2006 they left the dual premiership as the “lightning rod for other difficulties”, said [Brendan] O’Leary."
"Though hardly a novel claim nowadays[…] it made [Jean] Twenge a lightning rod in the research world, where some academics remain skeptical of the panic over smartphones."

Inflected Forms

lightning rods (plural) lightning-rod (alternative)

Synonyms

lightning conductor

Questions

How do you pronounce lightning rod?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈlaɪtnɪŋ ˌɹɒd/.
What does lightning rod mean?: A metallic conductor that is attached to a high point of a building and leads to the ground to protect the building from damage by lightning.

How to pronounce lightning rod

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “lightning rod”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈlaɪtnɪŋ ˌɹɒd/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “lightning rod”.
Repeat and practice — Say “lightning rod” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.