Haven't thought about the difference those two words. Sounds pretty much the same so that it can be misspelled and can lead some confusion when i come to think of it. The lightning is for a flash from the sky, and the lightening can mean by two which are making bright and lifting a burden from one's shoulders. Here is one more word that one single letter can make another meaning. I shouldn't take it for granted, I should take it seriously to be more clear.
There are two phrasal verbs which come to different meanings.
Light up - shine, light (up) a cigar // Lighten up - Cheer up, chin up
Yes, good point Yeo Jin. Even as a native speaker, I did not think about the difference between lightning and lightening. You could say "Lighten up the load of laundry" or "I want to lighten up my bag" (take some articles out of the bag). Lightning refers to flashes out of the sky and also is used as metaphors in English, too. Especially when discussing something very, very fast.
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