What does ill mean?
Word: Ill
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Ill means not well in the body; sick.
Synonyms: sick, unwell
Antonyms: well
How do you spell ill?
Syllables: ill
Tricky part: It is a short word, so children sometimes write only one l. Ill always has a double l.
Watch out for: ile, ilness
Memory tip: Ill is one short i and two tall l's, like a poorly child tucked up between two tall bedposts.
Idioms and Phrases
- ill at ease: Uncomfortable or nervous. Example: "Kabir felt ill at ease on his first day at the new school."
Ill in a sentence
Example 1: Priya was ill with fever, so she missed the class picnic.
Example 2: If you feel ill, tell your teacher at once.
Example 3: My grandfather was ill last week but he is better now.
Fun Fact
Ill comes from the Old Norse word illr, which meant bad. That older sense lives on in phrases like ill luck and ill will.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word: ill
a) sore
b) tired
c) healthy
d) pale
Show answer
c) healthy. Healthy is the opposite of ill; a person who is ill may feel tired and sore and look pale.
Word Makeup
Choose the suffix that completes the word:
ill____
a) ness
b) nes
c) nass
d) niss
Show answer
a) ness. Ill plus ness makes illness, a noun for being sick.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
Meena was ill, so the doctor gave her some medicin.
a) gave
b) doctor
c) medicin
d) ill
Show answer
c) medicin. Medicine ends with a silent e: m-e-d-i-c-i-n-e.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the correctly spelt word:
a) fevar
b) tempreture
c) ill
d) sneaze
Show answer
c) ill. Sneeze, fever and temperature are all misspelt here; ill is right.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Dadi was ill all of last week. How was she?
a) cross with everyone at home
b) away on a short holiday
c) busy and in a great hurry
d) feeling poorly and resting in bed
Show answer
d) feeling poorly and resting in bed
2. If you speak ill of someone, you ____.
a) speak to them very softly
b) say unkind things about them
c) talk to them when they are sick
d) tell them a big secret
Show answer
b) say unkind things about them
