4 syllables: Ex, ag, ger, ate. Stress on ag.
ig-ZAJ-ur-ayt
/ɪˈɡzædʒɚˌeɪt/
Exaggerate is pronounced ig-ZAJ-ur-ayt (/ɪˈɡzædʒɚˌeɪt/). It has four syllables (Ex-ag-ger-ate), with the stress on "ag". Exaggerate is a verb meaning to represent something as more significant or dramatic than it really is. It involves stretching the truth or amplifying details beyond their actual value, often for emphasis or rhetorical effect. The word carries a sense of deliberate overstatement, sometimes humorous or critical, depending on context.
verbExaggerate is a verb meaning to represent something as more significant or dramatic than it really is. It involves stretching the truth or amplifying details beyond their actual value, often for emphasis or rhetorical effect. The word carries a sense of deliberate overstatement, sometimes humorous or critical, depending on context.
"She tends to exaggerate her achievements to impress others."
"During the tour, he exaggerated the size of the fish he caught."
"The advertisement exaggerates the benefits of the product, making it seem miraculous."
Pronounce as ɪɡˈzæd͡ʒəˌreɪt. Start with a short, clipped initial /ɪ/ as in 'in', then /ɡ/, then the stressed /ˈzæ/ with /d͡ʒ/ immediately after, followed by /ə/ (schwa) and the final /ˈreɪt/ with a long /eɪ/. The stress pattern is secondary on the second syllable and primary on the last: ig-zædʒə-rate. Mouth: keep the jaw slightly dropped, tip of tongue for /d͡ʒ/ against the alveolar ridge, and finish with a wide smile for /eɪt/.”,
Common errors include mispronouncing the /d͡ʒ/ as a simple /d/ or /j/ sound, and shortening the final /eɪt/ into /eɪ/ or /ət/. Another frequent issue is putting primary stress on the wrong syllable (e.g., ig-ZADGE-u-rate). To fix: emphasize the /d͡ʒ/ cluster, ensure the /æ/ in /ˈzæ/ is bright, and pronounce the ending /reɪt/ with a clear /eɪ/ and final /t/.”,
US: /ɪɡˈzæd͡ʒəˌreɪt/ with noticeable rhoticity; UK: /ɪɡˈzæd͡ʒəˌreɪt/ and slightly tighter vowels; AU: /ɪɡˈzæd͡ʒəˌreɪt/ similar to UK but with broader, broader vowel qualities and flatter intonation. The /ˈzæ/ vowel can be slightly higher in US; /ə/ between /æ/ and /reɪt/ varies in length and reduction in fast speech. The /ɡ/ and /d͡ʒ/ sequences remain distinct in all; rhotic vs non-rhotic affects the trailing sound slightly in sentence-final positions.
Because of the consonant cluster /d͡ʒ/ after the /z/ and the long, stressed final /eɪt/. Learners often substitute /d͡ʒ/ with /d/ or /j/ and flatten the /eɪt/ into a shorter vowel, losing the final consonant /t/. The sequence /zæd͡ʒə/ requires precise tongue tip contact with the alveolar ridge and a quick release into /ə/ before the long /reɪt/. Misplacing primary stress on an earlier syllable also makes the word camouflaged in fast speech.
A unique point is the /z/ followed by /d͡ʒ/ in rapid succession, forming a /zd͡ʒ/ cluster that can be difficult for non-native speakers. Ensure you release the /z/ with a clear voicing into /d͡ʒ/, avoiding a separate, prolonged /z/ sound. The /ə/ in the third syllable often becomes a reduced schwa in fast speech, so practice the light, quick transition between /d͡ʒə/ and /ˌreɪt/ for natural rhythm.
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Exaggerate derives from the Old French exuberate? No, more accurately from Late Latin exaggeratus, from the verb exaggerare, which meant to heap up, to increase, to magnify. The Latin ex- means out of, beyond, and aggerare means to heap up or pile. The notion evolved from “to pile up beyond truth” into the modern usage of “to overstate.” The English form appears in the 15th–16th centuries, influenced by French exaggerer, from Latin exaggerare. The prefix ex- plus aggerare (to heap up) created the sense of beyond the truth, and by the early modern period the word broadens to include rhetorical overstatement. It entered common English with the sense of making something seem more important or dramatic than it is. Over time, exaggerate has maintained a strong association with intentional embellishment or sensational description, often in speech or writing, and is frequently used in critique of media, storytelling, or self-presentation. First known uses surface in texts discussing rhetoric and storytelling in the 1500s, gradually becoming a everyday verb in English by the 18th and 19th centuries, paralleling similar words like exaggeration and exaggerated as adjectives or nouns.
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Words that rhyme with "Exaggerate"
-ate sounds
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