5. Bad Breath
Having bad breath can certainly be caused by a lot more than just tonsillitis, but this is likely one of the symptoms that are unusual enough to where you might be able to get a clue that the illness that you are experiencing is tonsillitis and not something else. Generally, bad breath does not happen with a cold or flu virus.
But many people experience bad breath as a result of tonsillitis, especially tonsillitis that is caused by bacteria. If you have never had a problem with bad breath in the past, and you suddenly have people telling you that you have bad breath or you can tell yourself that you have it, then you definitely want to look into tonsillitis as a cause – especially if you are experiencing any of the other symptoms that are listed here as well. Most people will have a least a few of the symptoms.