When you need this

You wake up with a fever, and the question is not whether to work but how to tell people. A sick-day message is short. Say you're sick, say you won't be in, and say what happens to today's work. You don't owe anyone a list of symptoms. "I've come down with something" is enough, and most managers prefer it.

In the United States people "call in sick", even when they send a text. Many companies have a rule about who to tell and by what time, so check yours. The phrase "take a sick day" sounds neutral and adult. "I can't come in" sounds more like a problem than a plan.

Phrases

tell work you're ill and won't come in

the gentle, all-purpose way to say you're ill

you've caught an illness, maybe a cold or the flu

use one of your paid days for illness

mildly ill; friendly, informal

a good reason to stay home with a cold

offers light contact, not a full day's work

tells people who to contact instead

a document from a doctor saying you were ill

you've recovered

what coworkers say back

Say it out loud

Tap a sentence to hear it. Say it after the voice.

Practice · 3 min

Say the line that fits. Situation on the left, one natural line on the right.

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Say it today

Use it once in a real conversation before tomorrow. Out loud counts, even to yourself.