Which to use
“like” is a verb and “likely” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #42
- “like” frequency rank
- #637
- “likely” frequency rank
- 679
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | like | likely |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To enjoy, be pleased by; favor; be in favor of. | Probable; having a greater-than-even chance of occurring. |
Where the eye mixes like and likely
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between like and likely
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: like is /laɪ̯k/ while likely is /ˈlaɪkli/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “like” sits inside “likely”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 679, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
like is recorded at frequency rank #42, classified as averb, pronounced /laɪ̯k/. likely is at rank #637, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈlaɪkli/.
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 679, this pair ranks #528,995 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of like vs likely
Shared letters: eikl. Private to "like": -. Private to "likely": y.
"like" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "likely" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "like" and "likely" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "like" or "likely"?
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 "likely" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #528,995 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "like" and "likely" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "like vs lope". 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 #528,995 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.