wunder beta💧 Words for the Water Cycle
Meet the four big words that describe water's endless journey: evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and collection.
What you’ll learn
- Water on the MoveUnderstand that the water cycle is a repeating loop and describe evaporation as water rising into the air.The water cycle is water's never-ending journey between Earth and the sky. It has four steps that repeat. In evaporation, the Sun's heat turns liquid water into invisible vapor that rises into the air.
- Up in the SkyExplain condensation as vapor cooling into droplets, and precipitation as water falling from clouds.As water vapor rises, the cold air makes it condense into tiny droplets that form clouds. When the droplets grow heavy, they fall as precipitation: rain, snow, sleet, or hail.
- Back to EarthDescribe collection and put all four stages of the water cycle in order.Fallen water gathers in oceans, lakes, and rivers, and soaks into the ground. This is collection. From there the Sun can lift it again, so the whole cycle of evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and collection repeats forever.
Questions this course answers
What makes a puddle slowly disappear on a sunny day?
Evaporation happens when the Sun's heat turns liquid water into an invisible gas called water vapor that rises into the air.
The water cycle is best described as a journey that...
The water cycle is a loop. Water moves from Earth to the sky and back again, repeating again and again.
How do clouds form high in the sky?
Condensation happens when rising water vapor cools and turns back into tiny droplets, and millions of droplets make a cloud.
Rain, snow, sleet, and hail are all kinds of...
Precipitation is any water that falls from clouds. It can fall as rain, snow, sleet, or hail depending on the temperature.
What happens during collection?
In collection, fallen water flows into oceans, lakes, and rivers or soaks into the ground, ready to evaporate again.
Which step comes right after evaporation?
After water evaporates and rises, it cools and condenses into clouds. So condensation comes right after evaporation.
Grounded in trusted sources
- USGS Water Science School
- NOAA
- National Geographic Kids
- Britannica Kids
Every Wunder lesson is built from real, reputable sources — never invented.
Related Science courses
Wunder is a personalized learn-anything platform — tell it any topic and it builds a beautiful, fact-checked course in minutes, with narration, a knowledge check, and a college-style University track.
Browse more Science courses · All topics · Home
© 2026 Wunder Learning LLC · Terms & Privacy