likeness
like·ness/ˈlaɪknəs/noun
likeness is spelled L-I-K-E-N-E-S-S: 8 letters and 2 syllables (like·ness). It appears 2.2 times per million words in written English, the 18,537th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, likeness means “The state or quality of being like or alike” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of likeness is likenesses.
How many letters and syllables are in likeness?
| Letters | 8: L-I-K-E-N-E-S-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: like·ness |
| In writing | 2.2 times per million words; the 18,537th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is likeness?
Likeness appears 2.2 times per million words in written English, the 18,537th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce likeness?
- /ˈlaɪknəs/
Likeness has 2 syllables, split like·ness in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-likeness.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of likeness
- likenesses plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- likenessing participle, present
- likenessed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does likeness mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The state or quality of being like or alike.
I bear no likeness to my parents whatsoever.
- 2
Appearance or form; guise.
A foe in the likeness of a friend
- 3
That which closely resembles; a portrait.
How he looked, the likenesses of him which still remain enable us to imagine.
verb
- 1
archaicTo depict.
I have this morning received the photographs of my two boys. The eldest is very well likenessed: the other, perhaps, not so well.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Likeness in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does likeness come from?
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.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).