something like that

pron

"something-like-that" is a 17-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“something like that” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a pronoun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
19
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An intentionally vague thing, used in answers to leading questions which the speaker wishes to deflect or evade.

Corpus desk

Index EN-something-like-that · something like that · English

something like that · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 19 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "S" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for something like that
PropertyValue
Headwordsomething like that
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechPronoun
Letters19
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “something like that” in English

something like thatranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

something like that is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as apronoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

something like that has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From something + like + that. The correct English form is something like that, spelled S-O-M-E-T-H-I-N-G- -L-I-K-E- -T-H-A-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    An intentionally vague thing, used in answers to leading questions which the speaker wishes to deflect or evade.
  2. 2
    Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see something, like, that.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how something like that appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. How much did that cost you? Five grand? Something like that, yeah...
  2. So are you two an item yet? Eh, something like that.

Etymology

From something + like + that.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "something like that"?
"something like that" is spelled S-O-M-E-T-H-I-N-G- -L-I-K-E- -T-H-A-T.
What does "something like that" mean?
As a pronoun, "something like that" means: An intentionally vague thing, used in answers to leading questions which the speaker wishes to deflect or evade.
What is the origin of the word "something like that"?
From something + like + that. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list