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[Display omitted] • The probe was designed and synthesized based on a rhodol derivate anchored with the 2,4-dinitrophenyl group. • The fluorescent response was fast within 12 min and a dramatic color change (from colorless to pink) could be observed by naked eyes. • The detection limit of the probe was 0.097 μM. • The probe was successfully applied to detecting H 2 S in real water samples and HeLa cells. In this work, a reaction-based fluorescence turn-on probe RCHO, a rhodol derivate anchored with the 2,4-dinitrophenyl moiety, was designed and synthesized for H 2 S detection. The 2,4-dinitrophenyl moiety, as an electron-withdrawing group, was used for quenching the fluorescence of the fluorophore. The probe RCHO could quantitively detect H 2 S with high selectivity and fast response by introducing aldehyde groups in the ortho position of 2,4-dinitrobenzene. After addition of H 2 S, H 2 S was quickly added to the aldehyde group through a nucleophilic addition reaction, and then the dinitrophenyl ether underwent effective intramolecular thiolysis, which resulting in the release of the fluorophore and a rapid fluorescence turn-on response. The detect limit was calculated to be 0.097 μM. Furthermore, in the presence of H 2 S, a remarkable color change from colorless to pink was observed, indicating that the probe RCHO could monitor H 2 S by the naked eyes. More importantly, the probe could be used as a highly efficient tool for H 2 S detection in living cells and environmental water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]