The present invention provides methods and apparatuses for determining a liquid level inside a container by using an effective capacitance associated with one or more sense electrodes that are located inside the container. Embodiments may support different types of liquids, including water, and support different electrical appliances, including electric kettles, coffee makers, and water treatment appliances having a non-transparency housing such as stainless steel and black color Lucite or glass that cannot directly indicate the water level. A value of capacitance characteristic associated with a sensing electrode is determined. The water level may be displayed to the user on any kind of electronic panel, e.g., liquid crystal display (LCD), light emitting diode (LED) display, or vacuum fluorescent display (VFD). Also, a correction factor may be applied to a determined capacitance associated with a sensing electrode to compensate for the operating temperature of the sensor electrode and the liquid.