The Spelling of Exaggerate — an Easy Guide

The spelling of exaggerate is commonly misspelled even by native English speakers. This is due to the confusion between which consonant to double in the word. While some tend to omit one “g,” others add an extra “r” to exaggerate.

How can you eliminate this confusion and spell the word right every time? This article will explain how to spell and pronounce ‘exaggerate’ correctly.

Exaggerate or Exagerate — Which Is Correct?

Exaggerate is the only correct and accepted spelling in the English dictionary. It refers to making something seem better or worse than it actually is. Exagerate, exagarate, or exagerrate are all misspelled variations of the word “exaggerate.”

The word originated from the Latin word exaggeratus and its past participle exaggerare, meaning “to heap up, enlarge, amplify.” Exaggerare is made from the suffix ex (“out, up”) and the word agger, meaning “heap, pile, mound.”

Definition of Exaggerate With Examples

According to the dictionary definition and usage, ‘exaggerate’ functions as a verb. It is used to make something seem significant, better, or worse than it truly is. In other words, to magnify a situation beyond the limits of the truth. Synonyms of ‘exaggerate’ include: overstate, overemphasize, and amplify.

Examples Sentences:

• Please don’t exaggerate the difficulty of the situation.
• He will always exaggerate even the slightest ache or injury.
• I cannot exaggerate the importance of this project more.
• We have a chance of winning the competition, but I wouldn’t exaggerate.
• You should not believe his exaggerated stories.

The Spelling of Exaggerate: Learn to Spell It Right

Exaggerate is a 10-lettered word in the English language with five vowels and five consonants. It consists of 4 syllables, ex-ag-ger-ate, with the stress on the second syllable. Also, the word is spelled as E-X-A-G-G-E-R-A-T-E with two “g”s.

There are two slightly different phonetic transcriptions of ‘exaggerate,’ which are: /ɪɡˈzadʒəreɪt, ɛɡˈzadʒəreɪt/. The US English pronunciation is [uhg·za·juh·rayt], while the UK pronunciation is [uhg·za·juh·rayt].

To help you spell the word correctly, break down the word “exaggerate” in its constituents as:

Ex (prefix) + agger (root word) + ate (suffix) = Exaggerate

The prefix “ex-” means “out of, from, thoroughly, utterly.” The root word “agger” means “heap, mound,” while the suffix “-ate” means “full of.” As a result, ‘exaggerate’ stands to be “the quality of adding a lot.”

To Wrap Up

The spelling of exaggerate is often misspelled in English due to the double consonants in the middle of the word. But if you understand its formation and break it down into its prefix, root word, and suffix, the spelling is easy to spell.

This article explains how to write the spelling correctly and perfect your pronunciation in the process.