Which to use
“like” is an adverb and “lose” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,734
- “like” frequency rank
- #27,921
- “lose” frequency rank
- 30655
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | like | lose |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | como, feito | frouxo |
Letter map: like vs lose
Shared letters muted; letters that set like and lose apart highlighted. Shared run: 2.
Grammar separator: like vs lose
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: like is anadverb and loseanadjective. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 30655, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
like is recorded at frequency rank #2,734, classified as anadv, pronounced /laɪk/. lose is at rank #27,921, tagged as anadj.
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 30655, this pair ranks #37,642 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of like vs lose
Shared letters: el. Private to "like": ik. Private to "lose": os.
"like" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "lose" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "like" and "lose" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "like" or "lose"?
What to do next
Done with this confusable. These links stay specific to "like" and "lose".
- Full dictionary entry for "like" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lose" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #37,642 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "like" and "lose" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "loch vs lose". 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 #37,642 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.