I have a terrible headache vs have a serious painful headache

Both phrases convey the idea of experiencing a severe headache, but the first phrase 'I have a terrible headache' is the more commonly used and natural way to express this. The second phrase 'have a serious painful headache' is grammatically correct but sounds less natural and is not commonly used in everyday English.

Last updated: March 15, 2024 • 982 views

I have a terrible headache

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to express a severe headache.

This phrase is a natural and common way to describe experiencing a very bad headache.

Examples:

I have a terrible headache and need to lie down.
She couldn't come to work because she had a terrible headache.
A terrible headache kept him up all night.
He took some medicine for his terrible headache.
The noise made her terrible headache even worse.

Show examples from the web [+]
Last updated: November 18, 2024

Jan 31, 2024 ... Client presents to emergency department and states, “I have a terrible headache.” Client reports having a headache for the past three days and the pain is ...
Translations in context of "I have a terrible headache" in English-Russian from Reverso Context: First, I have a terrible headache, which isn't normal.
Can you tell me how you feel? Sasha: Well, I have a terrible headache. Dr. Smith: Hmm…Anything else? Does your throat hurt?
Jan 26, 2022 ... You hop on Zoom and can say, “I have COVID,” “I have a cold,” or “I have a terrible headache,” but you can't say, “My uterine lining is ...
Jan 9, 2020 ... I have a terrible headache. I _____ do anything. View Solution.
Aug 20, 2013 ... I have bitten the right side of my tongue, I have a terrible headache and I am extremely nauseated. I am confused and sleepy after the ...
“I just thought 'Okay, it's a Tuesday afternoon, I'm at work and I have a terrible headache and need to go throw up.'” Then one day, during a bootcamp ...
Nov 9, 2024 ... extreme in degree, power, or effect I have a terrible headache. Synonyms & Similar Words. intense · intensive · fierce · ferocious · deep.
physiological/biological needs "I have a terrible headache. It's really splitting." belonging needs "It gets lonely in my apartment on the weekends.
A: Yes. I was on the porch, putting fabric on my dresser drawers and I did that about an hour and now I have a TERRIBLE headache!

Alternatives:

I have a bad headache
I have a splitting headache
I have a pounding headache
I have a throbbing headache
I have a migraine

have a serious painful headache

This phrase is grammatically correct but sounds less natural and is not commonly used in English.

While grammatically correct, this phrase is not commonly used in everyday English. It may sound awkward or overly formal.

Alternatives:

I have a severe headache
I have a splitting headache
I have a pounding headache
I have a throbbing headache
I have a migraine

What Our Customers Are Saying

Our customers love us! We have an average rating of 4.79 stars based on 283,125 votes.
Also check out our 2,100+ reviews on TrustPilot (4.9).

"Thank you!"
Sachi Nakama July 2024
"I have literally been through chat, PI, claude, bard and bing and I got conflicting answers! Thank you! Human intelligence reigns!"
Retha July 2024
"Faster than AI"
CYNTHIA December 2023
"This was very helpful and I personally think this site is the best."
Kaden October 2023
"It was extremely thorough and very helpful!"
imperialelisa October 2023
"7 years without any disappointment. Always 100% satisfied. You guys are the best in the world at what you do. Thank you so much :)"
Zubair Alam October 2023
"In a world of text messages and online communication, this is great to have as a live tool. Thank you."
Selena October 2023
"Without textranch I would be stuck!"
宏祐 October 2023
"Accuracy and fast response. Personal comments from editor. Thank you."
Clh September 2023
"I wasn't aware of this service, it's fascinating and more reliable than standard IA tools available on the internet"
Arturo September 2023
"The fact that you can get reliable fast feedback on your texts."
Vinicius Antonio August 2023
"you guys are better than grammarly i'm being honest here"
ordinary July 2023
"OMG! This is really good than any other text correction tools I've used so far. Highly recommend this."
Vehan July 2023
"Very fast and accurate. thank you."
mojtaba July 2023
"I love this app because it's help to writing skills all of students ♥️"
Tarisini July 2023
"This was exactly the mistake I was looking for, the wording dind´t sound right at first. Better than grammarly!"
Ente July 2023
"The immediate help that I received was reassuring and very satisfactory. Thanks."
priiiyanshuu July 2023
"this helps A LOT for my studies."
kathnunez02 June 2023
"Woow!! I would never have expected such precision! Thank you soooo much!!"
Berta June 2023
"Real Time Editor and not AI. Many Thanks."
Priya June 2023
"The very first thing excites me about Textranch is how much your editors care."
sepideh June 2023
"The fact that texts are checked by human editors rather than by AI, etc. I appreciate this!"
Анна June 2023
"Feel welcome, immediate response, high quality feedback"
martin.roy June 2023
"This is the best app that I have ever seen"
Burulai May 2023

I have a terrible headache vs have a serious painful headache