Which to use
“like” and “liken” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,288
- “like” frequency rank
- #39,513
- “liken” frequency rank
- 43801
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | like | liken |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs liken | etwas nach seinem Geschmack finden, Wohlgefallen an etwas finden; jemanden leiden mögen |
Where the eye mixes like and liken
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between like and liken
A purely visual mix-up. like ([ˈlaɪ̯kə]) and liken ([ˈlaɪ̯kn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “like” sits inside “liken”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 43801, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
like is recorded at frequency rank #4,288, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈlaɪ̯kə]. liken is at rank #39,513, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈlaɪ̯kn̩].
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 43801, this pair ranks #1,406,562 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of like vs liken
Shared letters: eikl. Private to "like": -. Private to "liken": n.
"like" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "liken" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "like" and "liken" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "like" or "liken"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "like" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "liken" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,406,562 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "like" and "liken" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lauen vs liken". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,406,562 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.