I turned on my ankle and am now icing it. how do i know if it's sprained? i sprained my other ankle 25 years ago and that pain was so much worse and

Sprains vary: Since you turned the ankle and there is pain and the need to ice it, you did sprain it. The current sprain is not as severe as the sprain of the other ankle 25 years ago, but it is sprained. The intensity of the pain and swelling depends on the force or torsion applied to the ligaments that were stressed when you rolled/turned the ankle joint. See a podiatrist for further evaluation and x-rays.