みたいだ

みたいだ builds on what you saw or heard yourself (子供こどもみたいだ). らしい instead points to grounds from somewhere else.

みたいだ reports an honest outside impression of how something looks (具合ぐあいが悪わるいみたいだ). 〜ふりをする names a deliberate performance, known to be false (具合ぐあいが悪わるいふりをする).

みたいだ works the same job in speech, and never takes か (×死しんだかみたいだ). かのようだ instead belongs to writing, and never shortens.

みたいだ compares one thing to a single resembling category, no second example needed (パンダみたいな模様もよう). といった always follows two or more items, naming their shared category (犬いぬや猫ねこといった動物どうぶつ).

ようだ is the written and formal-spoken form. みたいだ is its everyday spoken twin, casual where ようだ sounds stiff.

みたいだ ends the sentence as a guess (病気びょうきみたいだ, "seems sick"). みたいに instead describes the verb after it, and can never end a sentence.

も同然どうぜんだ says something already counts as true, no guessing (捨すてたも同然どうぜんだ). みたいだ only guesses from appearance, and could be wrong (もう終おわったみたいだ).

っぽい says something partly has one quality (水みずっぽい). みたいだ compares it to a whole separate thing (これ、氷こおりみたいだ).