At what temperature does water boil?

The story behind the answer

Water boils at 212°F (100°C) at sea level because boiling occurs when water’s vapor pressure equals the surrounding atmospheric pressure; at 1 atmosphere (101.3 kPa), this balance is reached at 212°F.

The boiling point isn’t fixed—it drops at higher altitudes where air pressure is lower, and it rises in a pressure cooker or when dissolved substances (like salt) are present. On the Fahrenheit scale, pure water freezes at 32°F and boils at 212°F, a tidy 180-degree span that helped calibrate the scale. Memory tip: think H2O = 2-1-2 to remember 212°F for water’s boiling point.