diff --git a/src/compiler/watch.ts b/src/compiler/watch.ts
index 5a82584c8c3..70aa8939bcc 100644
--- a/src/compiler/watch.ts
+++ b/src/compiler/watch.ts
@@ -214,9 +214,9 @@ namespace ts {
     export interface Watch {
         /** Synchronize the program with the changes */
         synchronizeProgram(): void;
-        /** Get current program */
+        /** Gets the existing program without synchronizing with changes on host */
         /*@internal*/
-        getProgram(): Program;
+        getExistingProgram(): Program;
     }
 
     /**
@@ -360,8 +360,8 @@ namespace ts {
         watchConfigFileWildCardDirectories();
 
         return configFileName ?
-            { getProgram: () => program, synchronizeProgram } :
-            { getProgram: () => program, synchronizeProgram, updateRootFileNames };
+            { getExistingProgram: () => program, synchronizeProgram } :
+            { getExistingProgram: () => program, synchronizeProgram, updateRootFileNames };
 
         function synchronizeProgram() {
             writeLog(`Synchronizing program`);
diff --git a/src/harness/unittests/reuseProgramStructure.ts b/src/harness/unittests/reuseProgramStructure.ts
index cc330300d33..108e2d86694 100644
--- a/src/harness/unittests/reuseProgramStructure.ts
+++ b/src/harness/unittests/reuseProgramStructure.ts
@@ -897,12 +897,12 @@ namespace ts {
         }
 
         function verifyProgramWithoutConfigFile(system: System, rootFiles: string[], options: CompilerOptions) {
-            const program = createWatchOfFilesAndCompilerOptions(rootFiles, options, system).getProgram();
+            const program = createWatchOfFilesAndCompilerOptions(rootFiles, options, system).getExistingProgram();
             verifyProgramIsUptoDate(program, duplicate(rootFiles), duplicate(options));
         }
 
         function verifyProgramWithConfigFile(system: System, configFileName: string) {
-            const program = createWatchOfConfigFile(configFileName, {}, system).getProgram();
+            const program = createWatchOfConfigFile(configFileName, {}, system).getExistingProgram();
             const { fileNames, options } = parseConfigFile(configFileName, {}, system, notImplemented);
             verifyProgramIsUptoDate(program, fileNames, options);
         }
diff --git a/src/harness/unittests/tscWatchMode.ts b/src/harness/unittests/tscWatchMode.ts
index 6a83d950ad3..736f8c520b3 100644
--- a/src/harness/unittests/tscWatchMode.ts
+++ b/src/harness/unittests/tscWatchMode.ts
@@ -24,12 +24,12 @@ namespace ts.tscWatch {
 
     function createWatchOfConfigFile(configFileName: string, host: WatchedSystem) {
         const watch = ts.createWatchOfConfigFile(configFileName, {}, host);
-        return () => watch.getProgram();
+        return () => watch.getExistingProgram();
     }
 
     function createWatchOfFilesAndCompilerOptions(rootFiles: string[], host: WatchedSystem, options: CompilerOptions = {}) {
         const watch = ts.createWatchOfFilesAndCompilerOptions(rootFiles, options, host);
-        return () => watch.getProgram();
+        return () => watch.getExistingProgram();
     }
 
     function getEmittedLineForMultiFileOutput(file: FileOrFolder, host: WatchedSystem) {
@@ -237,8 +237,8 @@ namespace ts.tscWatch {
             const host = createWatchedSystem([configFile, libFile, file1, file2, file3]);
             const watch = ts.createWatchOfConfigFile(configFile.path, {}, host, notImplemented);
 
-            checkProgramActualFiles(watch.getProgram(), [file1.path, libFile.path, file2.path]);
-            checkProgramRootFiles(watch.getProgram(), [file1.path, file2.path]);
+            checkProgramActualFiles(watch.getExistingProgram(), [file1.path, libFile.path, file2.path]);
+            checkProgramRootFiles(watch.getExistingProgram(), [file1.path, file2.path]);
             checkWatchedFiles(host, [configFile.path, file1.path, file2.path, libFile.path]);
             const configDir = getDirectoryPath(configFile.path);
             checkWatchedDirectories(host, [configDir, combinePaths(configDir, projectSystem.nodeModulesAtTypes)], /*recursive*/ true);