ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Water vapor

Water vapor is the gas form of water. You know how when you drink water and it comes out of your mouth as steam on a cold day? That's water vapor! It's basically just tiny little drops of water that have turned into gas form. It happens when water is heated up, like when you boil water on the stove to make pasta. A lot of times, we can't even see water vapor because it's too small and light. But sometimes, when there's a lot of it, like in the clouds in the sky, we can see it as fog or mist. Water vapor is important for things like rain, because as the gas cools down, it turns back into liquid form and falls to the ground. So, next time you're outside on a cold day and you see steam coming out of your mouth, remember that it's just like water vapor!