likablevslikeableWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“likable” and “likeable” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#30,481
“likable” frequency rank
#28,281
“likeable” frequency rank
58762
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature likable likeable
Definition Having qualities tending to result in being liked; friendly, personable. Alternative spelling of likable.

Letter map: likable vs likeable

Shared letters muted; letters that set likable and likeable apart highlighted. Shared run: 7.

7 ch
likable
8 ch
likeable

Pair insight - likable / likeable

likable and likeable are indexed as a confusable English pair. We have no recorded pronunciation or part of speech for both members, so the spelling overlap is what we can show you: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 58762, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

likable is recorded at frequency rank #30,481, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈlaɪkəbl̩/. likeable is at rank #28,281, tagged as anadj.

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 58762, this pair ranks #110,477 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of likable vs likeable

Shared letters: abeikl. Private to "likable": -. Private to "likeable": -.

"likable" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV  ·  "likeable" · 8 letters · shape CVCVVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • likableilkable · liakble · likabble · likabel · likablle · likalbe · likbale · likible
  • likeableilkeable · liekable · likaeble · likeabble · likeabel · likeablle · likealbe · likebale

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "likable" and "likeable" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length, but the dictionary glosses above give them different meanings, so swapping one for the other changes what the sentence says.
Frequency check: "likable" vs "likeable" - which ranks higher?
"likeable" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #28,281 in our English list, against #30,481 for "likable". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Done with this confusable. These links stay specific to "likable" and "likeable".

  • Full dictionary entry for "likable" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "likeable" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #110,477 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "likable" and "likeable" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "likeable vs loveable". 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 #110,477 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list