How to Pronounce “exaggerate”

American (US)

/ɛɡˈzæd͡ʒ.ə.ɹeɪt/

British (UK)

/ɛɡˈzæd͡ʒ.ə.ɹeɪt/

verb — To represent something as larger, better or worse than it really is.

Example: He tends to exaggerate the size of the crowd.

Synonyms: overstate, inflate

Antonyms: understate

The final e is silent. The transcription /ɛɡˈzæd͡ʒ.ə.ɹeɪt/ ends on a consonant sound, so the written e at the end of “exaggerate” is not pronounced.

Where the stress falls. “exaggerate” has 4 syllables, and the transcription /ɛɡˈzæd͡ʒ.ə.ɹeɪt/ puts the primary stress mark (ˈ) before the second one — so the second syllable is the longest and loudest. The others are said quickly and lightly.

An unstressed vowel reduces to schwa. /ɛɡˈzæd͡ʒ.ə.ɹeɪt/ contains a schwa /ə/ — the short, neutral “uh” that English unstressed syllables collapse into. Saying /ə/ there, instead of the vowel the spelling suggests, is most of what makes the word sound native.

What does "exaggerate" mean?

exaggerate (verb): To represent something as larger, better or worse than it really is. For example — He tends to exaggerate the size of the crowd.

How do you pronounce "exaggerate" in American vs British English?

Both accents use the same sequence of phonemes for "exaggerate", /ɛɡˈzæd͡ʒ.ə.ɹeɪt/, so the difference you hear is in how the vowels are coloured rather than in which sounds are used. Play both on this page to compare.

What is the IPA transcription of "exaggerate"?

/ɛɡˈzæd͡ʒ.ə.ɹeɪt/ in American English, /ɛɡˈzæd͡ʒ.ə.ɹeɪt/ in British English.

Which syllable is stressed in "exaggerate"?

“exaggerate” has 4 syllables, and the transcription /ɛɡˈzæd͡ʒ.ə.ɹeɪt/ puts the primary stress mark (ˈ) before the second one — so the second syllable is the longest and loudest. The others are said quickly and lightly.