headache

The word “headache” means a pain in the head. In plain terms, pain in your head, or informally, any frustrating hassle.

“Headache” is pronounced HEH-dayk (/ˈhɛdeɪk/ in IPA).

Here is “headache” used in a sentence: “She took an aspirin for her headache.”

“Headache” is a noun.

The word “headache” comes from Old English. From Old English heafodece, literally "head-ache.".

“Headache” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

“Headache” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a pain in the head.

A headache is a general term for pain in the head, while a migraine is a specific, often severe and recurring type of headache that may come with other symptoms such as nausea or sensitivity to light. All migraines involve head pain, but not every headache is a migraine.

In its figurative sense, headache refers to an annoying problem or source of stress, as in "the paperwork was a real headache." The context — a situation rather than the body — signals the problem meaning rather than physical pain.

Both are correct. You "have a headache" to describe the current state, and you "get a headache" to describe its onset, as in "I get a headache when I read in the dark."

Common pairings include splitting headache, pounding headache, and terrible headache for the pain sense. For the figurative sense, people often say something is a "real headache" or "gives me a headache."