Phrase Meaning – How to Make Sense of ‘How Does It Look Like?’

phrase-meaning

Would the phrase "How does it look like?" possibly make sense in any situation in English?

For many non-native speakers, it is hard to understand why "How does it look like?" is wrong and "What does it look like?" is correct. An example situation (perhaps, a very rare and a very specific one), in which "How does it look like?" makes sense would help them a lot.

Small remark: In this question I am not asking for explanation of the meaning of a phrase, but quite the opposite — I am asking to find a meaning for a phrase. So the preposition in the title is "for", not "of". Please, don't edit that.

Best Answer

Would phrase "How does it look like?" possibly make sense in any situation in English?

Yes. ;-)

An example situation (perhaps, a very rare and a very specific one), in which "How does it look like?" makes sense would help them a lot.

Challenge accepted. Understand this will be convoluted like nobody's business and relies on the fact that there are multiple meanings to individual words in the question. Also, have you seen 'Silence of the Lambs'?

Anyhow, after Buffalo Bill goes through the whole 'It rubs the lotion on its skin' business, he tells the girl to behave in a certain manner and checks she understands him:

"It looks adoringly up at me, like a pet that loves its master" he tells her. "Does it look around like a frightened mouse desperately seeking escape?"

"No" says his victim.

"And does it look at me like a disobedient dog, just waiting for me > to turn my back so it can attack me?"

Again, the girl shakes her head and says 'No".

"So", says Buffalo Bill, "how does it look like?"

"It looks up at you like a pet that loves its master", she replies, between sobs.

Definitely rare and specific.

I was going to suggest the question may be syntactically correct in Valleyspeak where the word 'like' is regularly inserted in or appended to spoken sentences - "So, like, how does it look, like?" - but I think that would only add more confusion to the issue for people new to the language.

Even so, that's two situations.

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