Which to use
“like” is a verb and “lute” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #42
- “like” frequency rank
- #34,168
- “lute” frequency rank
- 34210
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | like | lute |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To enjoy, be pleased by; favor; be in favor of. | A fretted stringed instrument, similar to the guitar, having a bowl-shaped body or soundbox; any of a wide variety of chordophones with a pear-shaped body and a neck whose upper surface is in the same plane as the soundboard, with strings along the neck and parallel to the soundboard. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set like and lute apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
like and lute form a confusable pair in the English index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34210, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
like is recorded at frequency rank #42, classified as averb, pronounced /laɪ̯k/. lute is at rank #34,168, tagged as anoun, pronounced /l(j)uːt/.
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 34210, this pair ranks #322,734 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "like" and "lute" be used interchangeably?
Remembering like vs lute
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “like”; for a noun, it's “lute”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “like” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable