Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

like

/lɑɪ̯k/

Word Rarity Common

Frequency: Zipf frequency 6.41 in modern English

Syllables
like
IPA
/lɑɪ̯k/
8
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To enjoy, be pleased by; favor; be in favor of.

verb

To enjoy, be pleased by; favor; be in favor of.

Archaic; Transitive verb

verb

To enjoy, be pleased by; favor; be in favor of.

Obsolete

verb

To prefer and maintain (an action) as a regular habit or activity.

verb

To find attractive; to prefer the company of; to have mild romantic feelings for.

verb

To want, desire. See also would like.

verb

To show support for, or approval of, something posted on the Internet by marking it with a vote.

Transitive verb

verb

Of inanimate objects:

Informal

Example Sentences

Etymology

Verb from Middle English liken, from Old English līcian (“to like, to please”), from Proto-West Germanic *līkēn, from Proto-Germanic *līkāną, from Proto-Indo-European *leyg- (“image; likeness; similarity”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian liekje (“to be similar, resemble”), West Frisian lykje (“to seem, appear, look”), Dutch lijken (“to seem”), Low German lieken (“to be like; resemble”), German gleichen (“to resemble”), Swedish lika (“to like; put up with; align with”), Norwegian like (“to like”), Icelandic and Faroese líka (“to like”). Noun from Middle English like (“pleasure, will, like”), from the verb Middle English liken (“to like”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: *leyg-, liken, līcian, *līkēn, *līkāną, like

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /lɑɪ̯k/

Usage

Inflected Forms

likes (present, singular) liking (participle, present) liked (participle, past) liked (past) no-table-tags (table tags) glossary (inflection template) liked (first person, past) likest (archaic, present) liked (past, second person) likedst (archaic, past) liketh (archaic, present) liked (past, singular)

Derived Forms

belike beliked forelike likable likeability likeable likeful likejacking liker likesome likeworthy mislike

Phrases

as you like I'd like to know if you like I like that I like turtles I'm in this photo and I don't like it like it or leave it like it or lump it

Frequently Paired Words

heart love

Synonyms

fancy enjoy love favorite preference ilk for example such as as I mean you know well

Antonyms

dislike hate mislike disapprove unlike pet hate pet peeve antithesis opposite

Rhymes With

mike strike unlike bike alike spike hike dislike pike reich psych ike

Questions

How do you pronounce like?
The recorded pronunciation is /lɑɪ̯k/.
What does like mean?
To enjoy, be pleased by; favor; be in favor of.
Where does like come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce like

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “like”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/lɑɪ̯k/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “like”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “like” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.