Thread: which should I use?

resemble or look like?

I look like my sister?

I resemble my sister?

'Looks like' can mean similar in appearance. It can also be the first part of a statement. For example:

"It looks like rain." Or "It looks like trouble."

'Resembles' means similar in appearance. It can also mean in temperament, or style.

It depends on the context. To a degree they are interchangeable, which gives you a choice, depending on what kind of effect you are aiming for.

Originally Posted by bazz cargo

'Looks like' can mean similar in appearance. It can also be the first part of a statement. For example:

"It looks like rain." Or "It looks like trouble."

'Resembles' means similar in appearance. It can also mean in temperament, or style.

It depends on the context. To a degree they are interchangeable, which gives you a choice, depending on what kind of effect you are aiming for.

hey Bazz thank you for your advice that really helps.
that made me think then that resemble can only be used to describe people whereas to look like is to describe things as well as poeple.
but then look like can also refer ''have the impression of'' but is not always necessarily true.
for example
he looked like he was looking for something but it turned he was only picking up somethign that he's dropped??
resemble however whichis a French word, ressemble, with double SS, only refers to people and it always true?

Either is perfectly acceptable, one slightly more formal. It depends on your voice and the sentences around it. You don't want to overuse the word "look" and resemble could come in handy in defining the first sentence. There was a strong resemblance in the eyes.