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sick vs. ill

sick vs. ill

March 21, 2020 By Nestor Leave a Comment

When someone isn’t feeling well, in English we can say they are sick or they are ill. Do you know the difference between these two words? Let’s take a look.

sick

In American English, sick means unwell, for example:

I can’t come to work today. I’m sick.

In British English, we usually only use sick to desribe somebody who feels bad and vomits or needs to vomit.

  • Is there a bathroom? I feel sick.
  • John has been sick all day.
  • If you eat that food, you’ll be sick. (= you will vomit)

We also use sick in expressions such as sick leave and off sick to say that someone is not working because of a health problem:

  • She’s not at work today. She’s on sick leave.
  • Jake is off sick at the moment. He should be back in the office next week.

We can also use the word in a metaphorical sense in the phrase make somebody sick, to say that something gives an unpleasant feeling, especially anger:

He makes me sick the way he behaves!

ill

In British English, when talking about someone who is unwell, it is more common to say ill than sick:

  • I can’t come to work today. I’m ill.
  • If you spend too much time in the cold, you will get ill.
  • She’s critically ill in hospital.

In American English, ill is more formal than sick and is generally used only for more serious, long-term health problems.

Filed Under: Confusing words in English

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