While this might sound like an obvious article (the symptoms are a sore throat, duh!), it is important to note that sometimes they can occur with other symptoms as well.
Depending on the underlying cause, you may experience additional symptoms as well. For example, sometimes colds begin with a little tickle in the throat which doesn’t go away, and over the course of a day or so proceeds into full blown pain. This may also be accompanied by swelling in the lymph nodes in the neck, and sometimes the pain can radiate into the ears by way of the Eustachian tubes.
In fact, sometimes if you are sucking on a lozenge that provides a cooling effect on your throat, if you inhale through your nose you can feel the coldness go into your ears. This is happening by way of the Eustachian tubes.
Sometimes the pain my shoot into your ears as you swallow. But if the ear pain becomes severe, if your hearing decreases and things start sounding muffled, or if it feels like there is a lot of pressure in your ear, you should go see a doctor.
It may also be accompanied by a stuffy nose and congestion, although sometimes this doesn’t happen until the cold is about halfway done; the sore throat begins to lessen and the symptoms change into a stuffy nose, which itself can take days to a week or more to completely go away. Fortunately, at least you can keep blowing your nose to help get rid of everything.