In my last column, Rainy days, I mentioned that it has been raining a lot in Toronto lately. I know it’s the rainy season in Japan, too, so for anyone studying English, here are some tips for talking about rain in English!  

Different kinds of rain

At a basic level, it is quite fine to just use the words “rain”, “rainy”, “light/lightly”, and “heavy/heavily” to describe rainy weather. “Rain” is both a noun and a verb, and “rainy” is an adjective.

Ex. We’re expecting heavy rain overnight.

Ex. It was a rainy day yesterday.

Ex. It’s raining lightly at the moment,

However, you may wish to learn more vocabulary to describe rain, especially if you want to understand weather forecasts on the news.

Raindrop / drop of rain - “Rain” is (usually) uncountable, but we can use “raindrop” to speak about individual droplets of water.

Ex. I think I just felt a raindrop. / I think I just felt a drop of rain. 

Sprinkle - When it rains very lightly, we say it’s sprinkling. You may not even need an umbrella. “Sprinkle” is both a noun and a verb.

Ex. It was sprinkling when I left this morning.

Drizzle - Similar to “sprinkle”, “drizzle” refers to light rain and is both a noun and a verb. However, when it’s drizzling, the raindrops are smaller/finer, almost like mist.

Ex. When is this drizzle going to let up? (let up is a phrasal verb that means subside or become less intense)

Shower - Also called a “rain shower”, this is a brief period of rain. It is a very common word in weather forecasts. 

Ex. We’re expecting showers on and off throughout the day.

Downpour - A “downpour” refers to heavy rain. You can also use the verb “pour” or “pour rain” to say that it is raining heavily.

Ex. It poured all day yesterday, so we couldn’t go anywhere.

Ex. They’re calling for quite a downpour in the evening.

What happens when it rains

Puddle - A “puddle” is a small amount of water on the ground during or after rain. Kids and dogs love to splash around in puddles!

Ex. Watch out for that big puddle!

To get wet - If you’re out in the rain, chances are that you’re going to get wet. When “get” is used with an adjective (e.g. wet, soaked, etc.), it means “become”.

Ex. I had an umbrella, but my shoes still got a little wet.

To get soaked - If you get really wet, you get soaked. “Soak” is also a verb.

Ex. I didn’t have an umbrella, so I got completely soaked.

Ex. The rain soaked my backpack and all my files got wet.

Although it sounds redundant, we also say “soaking wet” sometimes.

Ex. Don’t let the dog inside; he’s soaking wet!

Soaker - This is an informal way to refer to a wet shoe. Imagine that you step in a puddle by accident and your shoe and sock get soaked; you say...

Ex. Oh man! I just got a soaker!

To get splashed - Sometimes during or after rain, a car will drive by and splash water on you. Imagine that this happens and you come home soaking wet. Your roommate asks, “What happened to you?” You say...

Ex. I got splashed by a car on my way home. ( = A car splashed me on my way home.)

*Note: This “get” is an alternative to using “be” in passive voice. It is especially common when something bad happens (e.g. I got caught, I got hit, I got fired, etc.).

To get caught in the rain - When it begins raining and you are unprepared for it (or are not expecting it), you “get caught in the rain.” 

Ex. I got caught in the rain on my way home.

Damp - This adjective means “a little wet”, and it is common to describe something that is not completely dry yet as being damp.

Ex. My shoes got soaked yesterday, so they’re still a bit damp today.

Ex. I’m going to put this laundry back in the dryer; it’s still damp.

Flood - “Flood” is both a noun and a verb, and it describes a situation when too much water enters an area.

Ex. Our basement flooded after the storm.

Ex. Floods are a serious risk to neighbourhoods near rivers. 

A note about the idiom raining cats and dogs: This seems to be a commonly learned but rarely used idiom. Personally, I’ve only heard it spoken once in my life (by an old man on a bus). I would advise simply saying “It’s pouring rain” instead of “It’s raining cats and dogs.”

I hope this will help you to talk about rain in English!

Zach