Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

illness

/ˈɪl.nəs/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.41 in modern English

Syllables: ill-ness
IPA: /ˈɪl.nəs/

7

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

2

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An instance (episode) of a disease or poor health.

Countable

noun

A state of bad health or disease.

Uncountable

Example Sentences

"Her grandmother had passed away after a long illness."
"suffer form a severe illness"
"a mild illness"
"This further exacerbated the diagnostic challenge posed by undifferentiated febrile illness during a “twindemic” of both COVID-19 and dengue, as both illnesses could potentially present with febrile syndromes."
"Many working days this year have been lost through illness."
"Illness is a wholistic reality, just as health is wholistic, and healing is the process of moving from illness to health."

Etymology

Etymology tree English ill Proto-Germanic *-in- Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ti Proto-Germanic *-ōną Proto-Germanic *-inōną Proto-Indo-European *-dyé- Proto-Germanic *-atjaną Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Germanic *-þuz Proto-Germanic *-assuz Proto-Germanic *-inassuz Proto-West Germanic *-nassī Old English -nes Middle English -nesse English -ness English illness From ill + -ness.

Usage

Subject

Wiktionary places this term in Medicine.

Inflected Forms

illnesses (plural)

Derived Forms

illnesslike nonillness

Phrases

accelerated critical illness chronic illness critical illness final illness folk illness foodborne illness food-derived illness Gulf War illness

Frequently Paired Words

ill hypochondriac

Synonyms

sickness unwellness malady

Rhymes With

stillness chillness

Questions

How do you pronounce illness?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈɪl.nəs/.
What does illness mean?: An instance (episode) of a disease or poor health.
Where does illness come from?: Etymology tree English ill Proto-Germanic *-in- Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ti Proto-Germanic *-ōną Proto-Germanic *-inōną Proto-Indo-European *-dyé- Proto-Germanic *-atjaną Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Germanic *-þuz Proto-Germanic *-assuz Proto-Germanic *-inassuz Proto-West Germanic *-nassī Old English -nes Middle English -nesse English -ness English illness From ill + -ness.

How to pronounce illness

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “illness”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈɪl.nəs/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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