ように見える【ようにみえる】

ように見える means "looks like", "appears to": you are judging by what you can see, and the reality may be different. It follows the plain form of a verb or an い-adjective; a な-adjective keeps な and a noun takes の.

• × 犬ように見える → 犬のように見える
• × 簡単ように見える → 簡単なように見える

The verb in front can be negative or past, for something that looks not to be the case or looks to have happened.

ように見える or く見える

An い-adjective can also go straight onto 見える in the く form, and a noun or な-adjective with に. This is the shorter, more everyday way to say how something looks.

ように見える puts more distance between the look and the truth, so it suits "looks…, but actually…".

ように見える or そうに見える

そう after an adjective stem reads a feeling or a state off someone's face. ように見える takes a full clause, so it describes what they appear to be doing or to have done.

The negative

To say something does not look a certain way, negate 見える. は after ように is usual here.