Two dates decide most of this. Put in when the gap started and ended and find out whether to raise it at all, and the three sentences to use if you do.
People agonise over how to explain why they were out. In practice the two things that change the handling are how long the gap was and how long ago it ended. A four-month gap three years ago is not a topic. An eighteen-month gap that ended last month is the interview. Same person, same reason, opposite advice.
Month and year. Leave the end blank if you are still in it.
Nine framings. You are choosing wording, not justifying yourself.
Whether to raise it first, and exactly what to say when it comes up.
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People agonise over how to explain why they were out. In practice the two things that change how the gap is handled are how long it was and how long ago it ended. Everything else is detail.
A four-month gap that ended three years ago is not a topic and should never be raised. An eighteen-month gap that ended last month is one of the first things they will want to understand, and being ready for that is the difference between an easy conversation and a defensive one.
Same person, same reason, opposite handling. So start with the dates.
Step one
When did the gap start and end?
Month and year is enough. If you are still in it, leave the end date empty.
Leave empty if it is ongoing.
Step two
What was it?
You are choosing how to frame it, not justifying it. Nobody is owed the detail.
Any work, study, care, volunteering, a certification, anything. Leave it blank if the honest answer is nothing.