Which to use
“like” is a verb and “likes” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #42
- “like” frequency rank
- #1,907
- “likes” frequency rank
- 1949
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | like | likes |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To enjoy, be pleased by; favor; be in favor of. | plural of like |
Where the eye mixes like and likes
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: like is /laɪ̯k/ while likes is /laɪks/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “like” sits inside “likes”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 1949, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
like is recorded at frequency rank #42, classified as averb, pronounced /laɪ̯k/. likes is at rank #1,907, tagged as anoun, pronounced /laɪks/.
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 1949, this pair ranks #526,223 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of like vs likes
Shared letters: eikl. Private to "like": -. Private to "likes": s.
"like" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "likes" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC