likeness
/ˈlaɪknəs/
"likeness" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“likeness” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #18,608. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #18,608
- frequency rank, English
- 2,297
- “L” headwords
- 10
- tracked misspellings
- 2
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The state or quality of being like or alike.
Corpus desk
Index EN-likeness · likeness · English
likeness · rank #18,608 · 10 variants · 2 confusables
- FREQ-MID #18,608
- LEN-LONG 8 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
- VAR-MID 10 variants
- BOOK-MID 2,297
- PHOTO-FINISH ligament
Nearest frequency peer: ligament (-1 rank slots)
Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern
Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.
Rank peers near misspelling magnet “likeness”
Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword
- latch
latch
81,396 corpus weight
- libel
libel
81,395 corpus weight
- ligament
ligament
81,394 corpus weight
- likeness
likeness
81,393 corpus weight
- Lizzie
Lizzie
81,392 corpus weight
- lofty
lofty
81,390 corpus weight
What this shows “likeness” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | likeness |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈlaɪknəs/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #18,608 |
| Misspellings tracked | 10 |
| Confusable pairs | 2 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “likeness”
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 10 spelling variants around likeness (IPA /ˈlaɪknəs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #18,608 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.
Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for likeness, with forms such as "ilkeness", "liekness", and "likeenss". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "lioness", "lifeless", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English liknesse, from Old English līcness, ġelīcnes (“the quality of being like or equal; likeness; image; copy; pattern; example; parable”), from Proto-West Germanic *galīkanassī (“likeness”), equivalent to like + -ness. Cognate with West Fris… The correct English form is likeness, spelled L-I-K-E-N-E-S-S.
Definition
- 1The state or quality of being like or alike.
- 2Appearance or form; guise.
- 3That which closely resembles; a portrait.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how likeness appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
I bear no likeness to my parents whatsoever.
Erich thought he observed a likeness between the stranger and a relative of Walther; this led them into the chapter of likenesses, and the strange way in which certain forms repeat themselves in families, often most distinctly in the most remote ramifications.
Etymology
From Middle English liknesse, from Old English līcness, ġelīcnes (“the quality of being like or equal; likeness; image; copy; pattern; example; parable”), from Proto-West Germanic *galīkanassī (“likeness”), equivalent to like + -ness. Cognate with West Frisian likenis (“likeness”), Dutch gelijkenis (“similarity; likeness; parable”), German Low German Glieknis (“form; semblance; likeness; parable”), German Gleichnis (“form; semblance; image; likeness; parable; simile”). The verb is derived from the noun. Compare also Old Norse líkneskja (“figure, image, appearance, likeness”).
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- ilkeness
- liekness
- likeenss
- likenes
- likenness
- likenses
- likkeness
- likneess
- lkieness
- llikeness
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of likeness - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "likeness"?
What does "likeness" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "likeness"?
How do you pronounce "likeness"?
What is the origin of the word "likeness"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "likeness", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).
Similar misspelling depth
Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).