What's the difference between lightning and thunder?
Native speaker’s answer
Rebecca
"Lightning" is an electrical charge that occurs between clouds and/or the ground. It is then seen as a flash of light across the sky. "Thunder" is the sound this electrical discharge makes. Therefore "thunder" is what you hear and the "lightning" (or lightning bolt) is what you see, but even if you can’t see the lightning, it is always there, as it is the lightning that makes the roaring sound, “thunder.” Since sound travels slower than light you will often see the "lighting" before you hear the "thunder." Ex: I could hear the thunder rumbling all night. Ex: My dog gets scared by the sound of thunder. Ex: The lightning lit up the sky. Ex: The lightning was really bright during the storm.
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