The obvious way to check is to look at the gear indicator light, or lights, located adjacent to the gear switch on the panel. If the lights are green, the gear should be locked in the Down position. "Three in the green" is a reliable check that the gear is down, because the lights are triggered by switches that close only when all three gear legs are fully extended.
One big weak point in that system is the light itself. Those tiny bulbs behind the green can and do burn out. Some, but not all, can be changed in flight - simply replace the suspected faulty bulb with one from a gear indicator light that you know is working.
But what if a dark bulb is not so easily replaced in flight? Is there any other way to check that the gear's down? Possibly.
After a few hours of flying a retractable airplane, you'll learn to recognize the changes in trim, airspeed, and even slipstream noise that accompany gear extension. This is an inexact check, but it can be of some use.
A second method is to look in the mirror. Many retractable-gear airplanes are equipped with a convex mirror (like the one on the passenger side of your car that says "Objects in mirror may be closer than they appear") that gives the pilot a profile view of the belly, including the landing gear. On high-wing singles the mirror typically is attached to and hangs down from the underside of the wing. Low-wing singles have no such convenient location, unfortunately. A low-wing twin, however, has an engine nacelle that functions nicely as a landing gear mirror mount.
Another method to check the gear is to fly past the control tower or FBO so someone on the ground can check it visually using a pair of binoculars. That will show if the gear is down, but not necessarily locked.
If there is ever doubt about whether the gear is down and locked before landing and you have no way to confirm it, find a piece of sky where you will be at a safe altitude away from other traffic, and use the emergency gear-extension procedure.
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