likevslinkedWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: like is a verb, linked is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“like” is a verb and “linked” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#42
“like” frequency rank
#2,797
“linked” frequency rank
2839
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature like linked
Definition To enjoy, be pleased by; favor; be in favor of. Connected, either with links, or as if with links.

Where the eye mixes like and linked

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.

4 ch
like
6 ch
linked

Look-alike desk: like vs linked

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: like is /laɪ̯k/ while linked is /lɪŋkt/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 2839, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

like is recorded at frequency rank #42, classified as averb, pronounced /laɪ̯k/. linked is at rank #2,797, tagged as anadj, pronounced /lɪŋkt/.

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 2839, this pair ranks #523,887 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of like vs linked

Shared letters: eikl. Private to "like": -. Private to "linked": dn.

"like" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "linked" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • likeilke · liek · likke · lkie · llike
  • linkedilnked · likned · linekd · linkde · linkedd · linkked · linnked · llinked

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "like" and "linked" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "like" is a verb and "linked" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Frequency check: "like" vs "linked" - which ranks higher?
"like" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #42 in our English list, against #2,797 for "linked". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

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 "linked" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #523,887 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "like" and "linked" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "linked vs linker". 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 #523,887 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