Water-proof or waterproof?
water-proof is an adjective meaning “Alternative form of waterproof”; waterproof is an adjective meaning “Resistant to the effects of water”. water-proof is written with a hyphen and waterproof as one word; they are used differently.
What is the difference between water-proof and waterproof?
| water-proof | waterproof | |
|---|---|---|
| Part of speech | adjective | adjective, verb, noun |
| Meaning | Alternative form of waterproof | Resistant to the effects of water Made of or covered with material that doesn't allow water in; impervious to water and immune to its effects To make waterproof or water-resistant |
| Example | none recorded | none recorded |
| Pronunciation | not recorded | /ˈwɔːtəˌpruːf/ /ˈwɔt̬ɚˌpruf/ /ˈwɑ(ː)t̬ɚ-/ |
| In writing | not counted (the list counts single words) | 3.5 times per million words |
Sources: water-proof and waterproof in the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Every current meaning of water-proof and waterproof
water-proof
- 1
Alternative form of waterproof
waterproof
- 1
Resistant to the effects of water
- 2
To make waterproof or water-resistant
- 3
A substance or preparation for rendering cloth, leather, etc., impervious to water
- 4
Made of or covered with material that doesn't allow water in; impervious to water and immune to its effects
- 5
Cloth made waterproof, or any article made of such cloth, or of other waterproof material, as rubber; especially, an outer garment made of such material
- 6
Incapable of failing; unassailable
- 7
Not dependent on an aquatic environment to live; thus, able to live on dry land, or at least in a semiaquatic environment
Source: the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); obsolete, archaic, dialect and rare senses left out.
Which is more common, water-proof or waterproof?
water-proof is a phrase, which the list of single words does not count; waterproof 3.5 times per million words.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).