The easiest way to distinguish between sick and ill for you to understand

The easiest way to distinguish between sick and ill for you to understand

Have any of you ever confused the two words Sick and ill and thought they were identical? Actually, there are differences between them.

1. Sick definition and examples

The word sick is commonly used in American English (especially American English).

- Can be used when someone is sick and vomiting.

For example:

  • “She has eaten bad food and she has just been sick.”

- The fact that someone is nauseous is also often considered 'sick'. There are many examples of this including seasick’, ‘carsick' and ‘airsick’ (“seasickness”, “carsickness” and “airsickness”).

For example:

  • “I don’t like going long distances in the car because I get carsick.”

- In some cases, ‘sick’ can be used when someone is bored with something.

For example:

  • “I am sick of eating meat. I’ve eaten it every day this week.”

- But we have: Get sick has the same meaning as Become ill ~ get sick (American English)

- Phone/ring/call in sick (= phone saying you didn't come to work because you were sick)

For example:

  • He was upset because it was the first day of the sale and Astrid had called in sick.

- [Not before nouns] British English is used by young people to say that something is very impressive and they admire it very much

2. Definition and examples of ill

Unlike Sick, which refers to mild diseases... But with ill, we see that it has a stronger nuance and is used for serious diseases such as cancer...

  • People use ‘ill’ when discussing feeling unwell in general. In England, there is a tendency to use “ill” when referring to actual physical illnesses.

  • Illnesses that require medical treatment or hospitalization are often referred to as illness’. 

For example:

  • Her mother was recovering from a serious illness.

In short, for mild illnesses or vague illnesses, you can use “sick,” while for more serious illnesses, you can use “ill.” If you follow this rule, it will be easier for you to accurately describe how you or someone else is feeling.