What is the difference between "likeness" and "resemblance"?

Solution 1:

They mean the same thing but are used slightly differently. English famously has many synonyms due to its history (which you can find on wikipedia). However, some synonyms are used in specific contexts, depending on where the speaker is from, the register they are expressing themselves, the sentence it appears in (collocation, e.g. a striking resemblance) etc.

One way of gauging usage better if you do not live in an English-speaking country is (in general) to read or (specifically) to look at the examples in an online dictionary (I use mainly the Cambridge English Dictionary because it has definition, mainstream pronunciation for both the US and the UK, examples and synonyms). Then you can see the words in context.

This page from the Mirriam-Webster has a "Choose the Right Synonym for likeness" section. If you choose the wrong one, people will still understand what you mean, but it will not sound "natural". https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/likeness