spell of sickness

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "spell of sickness" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe a period during which someone is ill or unwell. Example: "After a long spell of sickness, she finally returned to work feeling much better."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

Encyclopedias

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

8 human-written examples

Hand/wrist, neck and shoulder pain resulted significantly less in a spell of sickness absence than back pain.

BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders

Health care due to mental diagnoses and > 1 spell of sickness absence regardless of diagnosis were predictive of suicide.

BMC Public Health

A woman was recorded as a case if she had at least one spell of sickness absence lasting for ≥15 (or 29) days during a year.

European Journal of Public Health

Previous and on-going inpatient and outpatient health care due to mental diagnoses and having two compared with only one spell of sickness absence predicted completed suicide.

BMC Public Health

Prospective national cohort study in Norway including all cases with a spell of sickness absence > eight weeks during 1997 certified with a MSD, 37,942 women and 26,307 men.

BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders

As shown in Table 1, during the 3-year exposure window, 6.5% of study participants had at least one spell of sickness absence due to psychiatric disorder (n = 1,294).

American Journal of Epidemiology

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

52 human-written examples

Doctors' certificates may not be required for short spells of sickness.

Encyclopedia Britannica

Many countries – particularly the Nordic ones; see Kausto et al. (2008) – have in recent years made efforts to promote "partial" rather than "full" absence from work during workers' spells of sickness absence from work.

IZA Journal of Labor Policy

This is handled by exploiting the variation in grading-propensity across family physicians, generating a significant source of random-assignment-like (from the employee's point of view) variation in the probability of being subject to activity requirements during spells of sickness.

IZA Journal of Labor Policy

The number of spells of sickness absence was also examined.

BMC Public Health

Periods of sickness absence, even short ones, can increase the risk for future spells of sickness absence and unemployment.

European Journal of Public Health

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When writing about health or workplace absence, use "spell of sickness" to refer to a specific, limited duration of illness. This term is suitable for medical reports, HR documents, and general discussions about health-related absences.

Common error

Avoid using "spell of sickness" as a specific diagnosis. Instead, use it to describe the period someone is experiencing an illness, while specifying the actual medical condition separately.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "spell of sickness" functions as a noun phrase, typically serving as the subject or object of a sentence. It describes a defined period during which someone experiences illness. Ludwig AI confirms its usability, as evidenced by the examples provided.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

Science

57%

News & Media

29%

Encyclopedias

14%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Reference

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "spell of sickness" is a grammatically sound noun phrase used to denote a period of illness. According to Ludwig AI, the phrase is acceptable in written English. It's most frequently encountered in scientific and news contexts and functions to describe a temporary state of being unwell. While the phrase is neutral in tone, it leans towards formality and is best suited for medical reports, HR documents, or general discussions about health-related absences. When using this phrase, remember that it describes a period of illness, not a specific diagnosis.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

bout of illness

Replaces "spell" with "bout", suggesting a short period of illness.

period of illness

Substitutes "spell" with "period", providing a more general term for a duration of sickness.

episode of illness

Replaces "spell" with "episode", implying a distinct occurrence of sickness.

attack of sickness

Changes "spell" to "attack", suggesting a sudden onset of illness.

bout of sickness absence

Adds "absence" to emphasize the impact of the illness on work or other activities.

term of sickness

Uses "term" instead of "spell", indicating a defined duration of illness.

period of sick leave

Focuses on the time taken off work due to sickness.

phase of illness

Replaces "spell" with "phase", implying a stage within a larger illness.

time of sickness

Provides a simple and direct alternative, using "time" instead of "spell".

stretch of illness

Emphasizes the continuous nature of the illness period.

FAQs

How to use "spell of sickness" in a sentence?

You can use "spell of sickness" to describe a period of illness, such as "After a long "spell of sickness", she finally returned to work", or "The employee was absent due to a recent "spell of sickness"".

What can I say instead of "spell of sickness"?

You can use alternatives like "bout of illness", "period of illness", or "episode of illness" depending on the context.

Is "spell of sickness" formal or informal?

"Spell of sickness" is generally considered a neutral term suitable for both formal and informal contexts, though more formal settings might prefer "period of illness".

What's the difference between "spell of sickness" and "sick leave"?

"Spell of sickness" refers to the actual period of being unwell, while "sick leave" refers to the authorized absence from work due to that illness. One describes the health condition, the other the employment status.