# "Like" in typed communication **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 10, 2023, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-in-typed-communication/977952 "2023-01-10T04:43:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pianodave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e79b87/32.png) [@pianodave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pianodave)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2023, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-in-typed-communication/977952/1 "2023-01-10T04:43:12Z")
I found myself inserting “like” into a text I was sending, not because it was necessary but because I could not imagine it without it. Here’s what I wrote: “I played like six Boggle games in a row.” If I wrote “I played six Boggle games in a row” it would have lacked something–something that the “like” provides. What is that mysterious je ne sais quoi that putting “like” in gives to a sentence? I can’t put my finger on what it is. But I wrote it deliberately, not only to match how I might say it in real life, not even to help me approximate, but for another reason. Is there imagery that “like” communicates in this instance? Does it encourage bonding in some way? ETA: My theory is that it helps define my feeling about the situation. In this case, “like” indicates my casual amusement and interest about it, but not that it is an urgent matter. Dave ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2023, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-in-typed-communication/977952/2 "2023-01-10T04:49:18Z")
It gives the reader a better sense of your mood, in my opinion. You might say the sentence without “like” in any tone of voice at all, and so the reader won’t get much of a mood signal. With “like” in there, I say it in my head while reading it with emphasis on “six” like that’s a lot (I suppose it is) and I get your sense of how that’s unusual. I may be wrong about all the specifics of how you feel, but the sentence has a lot more life in my head with “like” in there. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2023, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-in-typed-communication/977952/3 "2023-01-10T05:05:53Z")
> [@pianodave](#): > > My theory is that it helps define my feeling about the situation. In this case, “like” indicates my casual amusement and interest about it, but not that it is an urgent matter. Sounds about right. I grew up in the U.K. without this use of “like”, and I’d try convey a similar thing by saying: “Well, I played six Boggle games in a row.” ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2023, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-in-typed-communication/977952/4 "2023-01-10T05:47:49Z")
Is it supposed to imply that you might be exaggerating a bit? ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2023, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-in-typed-communication/977952/5 "2023-01-10T05:50:26Z")
I interpret the word “like” in that context to mean something like “approximately.” ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2023, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-in-typed-communication/977952/6 "2023-01-10T06:29:10Z")
Approximately, with a hint of hyperbole, and with the implication that the quantity is somehow unreasonable or regrettable. “I binged like three seasons of that show over the weekend.” “I ate like half a gallon of ice cream last night.” Etc. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2023, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-in-typed-communication/977952/7 "2023-01-10T08:00:40Z")
Being of an older generation, the conversational usage to emphasise the “six” might be “oh [or ooh], six”. Some would say “literally”. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2023, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-in-typed-communication/977952/8 "2023-01-10T13:42:43Z")
I’m with @BigT and @Dr.Strangelove. Whatever it does convey, “like” in that spot does NOT convey any sense that the activity was fun or enjoyable or that you, ahem, _liked_ doing it. Nor does it mean the opposite. That axis of meaning is simply absent. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2023, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-in-typed-communication/977952/9 "2023-01-10T13:52:41Z")
You’re using colloquial language in your text to convey a feel of actual speech in an informal setting. When done well and in the right situation it gives a sense of personality and familiarity that reads as warmer and less stilted than formal, grammatically correct speech. I do it, like, all the time in texts and posts. ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2023, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-in-typed-communication/977952/10 "2023-01-10T15:20:07Z")
> [@pianodave](#): > > “I played like six Boggle games in a row.” The visual image I get from “like” in the sentence is thus: “_I played like_ [speaker hesitates with mouth agape, fanning hands outward, rolling eyes up/right…trying desperately to calculate the incredible number of games he played] _six Boggle games in a row.”_ In this context, I see “like” as an intensifier of 6. _I didn’t just play 2, 3, 4, or even 5 measly games of boggle—I played 6!!! I am a boggle master!_ ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2023, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-in-typed-communication/977952/11 "2023-01-10T15:21:53Z")
I use verbal ticks like “ummmm”, “eh”, “:sigh:”, and, yes, “like”, in texts all the time. Don’t worry about it, it gives your texts personality. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2023, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-in-typed-communication/977952/12 "2023-01-12T08:16:23Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Don’t worry about it, it gives your texts personality. As with “like” in speech (and many another “verbal crutch”) it gets annoying if it’s used too much or seemingly without thought. It’s subjective, but that gives an unflattering personality. ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2023, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-in-typed-communication/977952/13 "2023-01-12T11:24:37Z")
I [_hiccup_] go even further with regard to conveying [_burrrp_] snippets of personal information in my text. I believe it endears me to my readers [_pbbbbbbbbbbbt_]. It’s, like, I’m in the [_snort_] room with you. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2023, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-in-typed-communication/977952/14 "2023-01-12T16:27:55Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#): > > As with “like” in speech (and many another “verbal crutch”) it gets annoying if it’s used too much or seemingly without thought. It’s not being used as a verbal crutch in the OP’s context; it’s a qualifier for the number six. They are not filling space to buy time to compose their next thought. They are describing the number six as being an estimation or a lot. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2023, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-in-typed-communication/977952/15 "2023-01-12T16:36:38Z")
> [@pianodave](#): > > If I wrote “I played six Boggle games in a row” it would have lacked something–something that the “like” provides. Funny that you put it that way. It’s just “I played [something] like six Boggle games in a row” with the [something] removed. It represents an approximation, with a flavor of “but nobody was counting.” ---
**Author:** ![pianodave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e79b87/32.png) [@pianodave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pianodave)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2023, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-in-typed-communication/977952/16 "2023-01-12T17:47:53Z")
Interesting, Johnny\_Bravo. I didn’t intend its use as an approximation. To me it comes off as a way to qualify how I feel about the subject, It says something about me and the casualness and familiarity of the relationship. There’s nuance. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2023, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-in-typed-communication/977952/17 "2023-01-12T22:16:42Z")
Besides what others have already said, “I played six Boggle games in a row” without the “like” just sounds kind of dull to me. Like a dry factual statement. Like that episode of the _The Office_ where Dwight made the banner for an office birthday party, and it read “It is your birthday.” With a period. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2023, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/like-in-typed-communication/977952/18 "2023-01-12T22:58:19Z")
> [@Tibby](#): > > I [_hiccup_] go even further with regard to conveying [_burrrp_] snippets of personal information in my text. I believe it endears me to my readers [_pbbbbbbbbbbbt_]. It’s, like, I’m in the [_snort_] room with you. You win. We’re done here. Bravo! > [@pianodave](#): > > Interesting, Johnny\_Bravo. I didn’t intend its use as an approximation. To me it comes off as a way to qualify how I feel about the subject, It says something about me and the casualness and familiarity of the relationship. There’s nuance. The problem is that no two readers seem to agree on what that nuance is. To some, it means an approximation. To me it means you admit you did something excessive or dumb. To you it means you enjoyed doing it. Nuance words that nobody understands aren’t delivering nuance. They’re delivering noise.