Bol! I’m such s a horrible speller, I never even noticed that ‘lightning’ was wrong.
Otoh, my auto correct thinks it’s okay. Maybe it’s become alternative spelling?
Lightning is correct, but the body of trhe article uses “lightening” twice, which is a word, but has a totally different meaning.
I think it’s just considered rare but not archaic. So I’m with you.
“Lightening” is incorrect. The correct spelling is “lightning.” It’s now a daily occurrence that I see it misspelled, usually on Facebook but now here in a news article (which manages to spell it correctly here and there!).
Lightening vs. lightning
Lightening is a present participle corresponding to the verb lighten, where to lighten is to make light or lighter. For example, we might say that a person who has been losing weight is lightening, or that an aging man’s hair is lightening to gray.
Lightning refers to an abrupt, discontinuous natural electric discharge in the atmosphere—i.e., the flash of light associated with thunder.