Everyone feels unwell at times. And this is going to be something you’ll need to communicate to others like your parents, children, friends, or your boss at work. So what does each word mean and when should you use each one. Let’s first look at each word in more detail
What does "sick" mean?
Sick has a general meaning of feeling unwell. However, we use it when we feel physically unwell and usually for a short period of time; from an hour to a few days. We don’t usually need to go to the hospital when we are “sick.”
Next, let's learn what "ill" means.
“Ill” also means to feel unwell but we usually use it when the situation is for a longer time than sick. Often we use ill if we have to go to the hospital. Ill often means we have a disease which lasts for a long time.
Bonus:
This is strange, but both “sick” and “ill” can also be used in the opposite to mean “great” as well. This is often used in slang and is used by the young generations.
eg. That ski jump was sick. (He made a great jump)
eg . Those are some ill beats. (That is great music)
So when should you use "sick" or "ill"?
Sick
We use it most often when we have a cold or the flu. The symptoms [signs] of being sick include nausea, vomiting, headache and fever for example.
We also use sick often when have food poisoning. This means we eat some bad food that makes us feel sick.
eg. After eating lunch today I felt sick for about 3 hours.
If you can’t go to work because you are feeling unwell, we usually use the word sick.
eg. I can’t come in to work today because I’m feeling sick
Ill
Ill” is usually used for longer term and usually more serious physical health problems. An “illness” might mean you have to go to the hospital.
eg. I was seriously ill in hospital for 3 months.
We usually use “ill” more often for mental problems than “sick.” That’s why we say “mental illness” or “mentally ill” not “mental sickness” or “mentally sick”
eg. Depression is common among people who are mentally ill.
Let's look at some common expressions using "sick" and "ill"
Expressions using the word "sick"
car sick, air sick, sea sick – use use these expressions for different kinds of motion sickness.
eg. Driving on mountain roads make me feel car sick.
worried sick – you are very very worried, usually about someone
eg. His mother was worried sick when her son came home late from school.
sick as a dog – you are feeling very very sick
eg. I didn’t go to school for 2 weeks because I was sick as a dog.
Next, let's look at some expressions with "ill"
fall ill – this means to become ill (formal and not used as often)
eg. Since I have fallen ill, I worry that I might have to quit my job.
ill will – bad feelings or actions towards someone / unfriendly
eg. He had ill will towards his boss after he got fired.
ill-advised – something not recommended to do
eg. Travelling during the pandemic is ill-advised.
Quiz (answers below)
1. I felt pretty (sick/ill) after eating some old fish.
2. It is estimated that about 25% of the population has some form of mental (sickness/illness).
3. Taking ferries makes me sea (sick/ill)
4. We are happy my father came home today after being seriously (sick/ill) in the hospital.
5. I started feeling (sick/ill) with a cold today so I can’t go to your party.
Answers: 1. sick 2. illness 3. sick 4. ill 5. sick
In summary...
Sick and ill are very similar. So if you are talking about being unwell with physical symptoms like fever, vomiting, or sore throat you should use “sick.”
If you are talking about a more serious health problem in which you might have to go to the hospital or is related to mental problems you should probably use “ill”.
However, if you use the wrong word in a sentence, the chances are not that many people will notice nor will it cause any serious communication issues.
I wish you all good health!
Thanks for reading as always!
1 thought on “What’s the difference between sick and ill?”
Thanks for the post it is truly an insightful post, thanks for writing it.