How to determine if i have an ear infection?

Pain, fever: Ear pain with fever are most common signs of what people refer to as "an ear infection" aka "acute otitis media" pain can be worse with laying down, sometimes with swallowing or eating also common to have stuffy/runny nose, sometimes cough otitis media is different from otitis externa (aka swimmer's ear), where it's more common to have pain when gently tugging or moving your ear. See a doc.