strike a chord

Meaning

Derived from music (hitting a harmonious combination of notes), this idiom means to evoke a strong emotional reaction, sympathy, or familiarity in someone. If an idea, story, or speech strikes a chord, people relate to it deeply or feel strongly about it.

Examples

• The main character's struggles with loneliness really struck a chord with the audience.

  The main character's struggles with loneliness really struck a chord with the audience.

• Her speech about environmental conservation struck a chord with the younger generation.

  Her speech about environmental conservation struck a chord with the younger generation.

• The nostalgic theme of the movie seems to strike a chord with people who grew up in the nineties.

  The nostalgic theme of the movie seems to strike a chord with people who grew up in the nineties.

• His simple, honest lyrics always strike a chord with music lovers.

  His simple, honest lyrics always strike a chord with music lovers.

• The advertisement struck a chord because it focused on real-life family moments.

  The advertisement struck a chord because it focused on real-life family moments.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ The story stroke a chord with me.

  ✓ The story struck a chord with me.

  The past tense of the verb 'strike' is 'struck,' not 'stroke' or 'strikeed.'

• ✗ The message struck a chord to the voters.

  ✓ The message struck a chord with the voters.

  Use the preposition 'with' to indicate the group of people who felt the emotional connection, not 'to.'

Related Expressions

Practice

• The documentary about climate change really ___ with the students.

  💡 Evoked a strong emotional connection (past tense).

  Show answer

  struck a chord

• A good story should always ___ with its readers.

  💡 Create a sense of shared feeling or familiarity.

  Show answer

  strike a chord