diff --git a/lib/awful/ewmh.lua b/lib/awful/ewmh.lua
index db6f9e12..139e8e1a 100644
--- a/lib/awful/ewmh.lua
+++ b/lib/awful/ewmh.lua
@@ -134,7 +134,7 @@ function ewmh.activate(c, context, hints) -- luacheck: no unused args
     end
 
     -- The rules use `switchtotag`. For consistency and code re-use, support it,
-    -- but keep undocumented.
+    -- but keep undocumented. --TODO v5 remove switchtotag
     if hints.switchtotag or hints.switch_to_tag or hints.switch_to_tags then
         atag.viewmore(c:tags(), c.screen, (not hints.switch_to_tags) and 0 or nil)
     end
diff --git a/lib/awful/rules.lua b/lib/awful/rules.lua
index ae09a291..39fd724f 100644
--- a/lib/awful/rules.lua
+++ b/lib/awful/rules.lua
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@
 -- * honor_workarea
 -- * tag
 -- * new_tag
--- * switchtotag
+-- * switch_to_tags (also called switchtotag)
 -- * focus
 -- * titlebars_enabled
 -- * callback
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ If you want to put Emacs on a specific tag at startup, and immediately switch
 to that tag you can add:
 
     { rule = { class = "Emacs" },
-      properties = { tag = mytagobject, switchtotag = true } }
+      properties = { tag = mytagobject, switch_to_tags = true } }
 
 If you want to apply a custom callback to execute when a rule matched,
 for example to pause playing music from mpd when you start dosbox, you
@@ -477,7 +477,7 @@ rules.high_priority_properties = {}
 -- @tfield table awful.rules.delayed_properties
 -- By default, the table has the following functions:
 --
--- * switchtotag
+-- * switch_to_tags
 rules.delayed_properties = {}
 
 local force_ignore = {
@@ -511,11 +511,17 @@ function rules.high_priority_properties.tag(c, value, props)
     end
 end
 
-function rules.delayed_properties.switchtotag(c, value)
+function rules.delayed_properties.switch_to_tags(c, value)
     if not value then return end
     atag.viewmore(c:tags(), c.screen)
 end
 
+function rules.delayed_properties.switchtotag(c, value)
+    gdebug.deprecate("Use switch_to_tags instead of switchtotag", {deprecated_in=5})
+
+    rules.delayed_properties.switch_to_tags(c, value)
+end
+
 function rules.extra_properties.geometry(c, _, props)
     local cur_geo = c:geometry()
 
diff --git a/tests/test-awful-rules.lua b/tests/test-awful-rules.lua
index d99fccdb..db89234d 100644
--- a/tests/test-awful-rules.lua
+++ b/tests/test-awful-rules.lua
@@ -292,11 +292,11 @@ assert(not awful.rules.add_rule_source("invalid_source", function()
 end, {"awful.rules"}, {"awful.spawn"}))
 gears.debug.print_warning = temp
 
--- Test tag and switchtotag
+-- Test tag and switch_to_tags
 test_rule {
     properties = {
-        tag         = "9",
-        switchtotag = true
+        tag            = "9",
+        switch_to_tags = true
     },
     test = function(class)
         local c = get_client_by_class(class)
@@ -311,8 +311,8 @@ test_rule {
 }
 test_rule {
     properties = {
-        tag         = "8",
-        switchtotag = false
+        tag            = "8",
+        switch_to_tags = false
     },
     test = function(class)
         local c = get_client_by_class(class)
diff --git a/tests/test-urgent.lua b/tests/test-urgent.lua
index c1908730..f0558097 100644
--- a/tests/test-urgent.lua
+++ b/tests/test-urgent.lua
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ local steps = {
             awful.screen.focused().tags[1]:view_only()
 
             runner.add_to_default_rules({ rule = { class = "XTerm" },
-                                        properties = { tag = "2", focus = true, switchtotag = true }})
+                                        properties = { tag = "2", focus = true, switch_to_tags = true }})
 
             awful.spawn("xterm")