How to spell illness

hear itill·ness/'ɪlnɪs/nounPrefixes and work

What it means: Impairment of normal physiological function.

In a sentence: The nurse helped the boy get better from his illness.

The part people get wrong

Watch for double l and double s. Often misspelled as ilness or illnes.

Same family: ill, illnesses, sickness, disease, unwell. If you can spell one, the shared part carries to the others.

Where it comes from: Illness comes from the adjective “ill,” which has roots in Old Norse and Old English meaning ‘bad’ or ‘evil.’ Over time, its meaning narrowed to refer mainly to being physically or mentally unwell.

Try spelling it

You will hear the word and a sentence. Type it and press Enter. Then four more words from the same level, so you know where you stand.

Words like this

fitness · happiness · sadness · sickness · kindness · darkness

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