It happens to the best of us. You’re firing off a quick email or drafting a post, and suddenly your fingers freeze over the keyboard because you realize you have no clue how to spell exaggerate correctly. Is it one "g" or two? Does it end in "ate" or "eight"?
English is a nightmare. Honestly, the language is basically three other languages wearing a trench coat, and Latin-derived words like exaggerate are the worst offenders. You want to describe something bigger than it is, but the word itself feels unnecessarily big and clunky.
The struggle is real.
If you’ve ever typed "exagerate" and seen that annoying little red squiggle, you aren’t alone. In fact, Google Trends data consistently shows that people search for the correct spelling of this specific word thousands of times every month. It’s one of those "demon words" that teachers used to warn us about in middle school, right up there with maintenance and occurrence.
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Why the Double G Trips Everyone Up
The most common mistake when people look up how to spell exaggerate is forgetting the second "g." Most of us want to write "exagerate." It looks cleaner. It feels more phonetic. But the double "g" is non-negotiable because of the word's history.
Basically, it comes from the Latin exaggerat-, which is the past participle of exaggerare. If you break that down, you get ex- (thoroughly) and aggerare (to heap up). The root word agger means a heap or a mound. Think of it like this: you’re adding an extra "g" to "heap up" the word itself.
It’s meta.
Because we don't pronounce both "g"s distinctly—we don't say "ex-ag-ger-ate"—our brains try to streamline the spelling. We hear a soft "j" sound after the "a," and our logic tells us one consonant should do the trick. It doesn’t. You need that double-g combo to keep the Latin roots intact.
The "Ate" vs "Eight" Confusion
Then there’s the ending. Because English loves to be difficult, the "ate" sound at the end of many verbs sounds exactly like the number "eight." However, you will almost never find a verb in English that ends in "eight" unless it’s specifically related to the number (like weight or freight, which aren't even verbs in that sense).
Stick to the "ate." It’s a classic verb suffix. If you’re trying to remember how to spell exaggerate, just think of it as something you "ate." It’s a weird mental image, but it works.
A Simple Trick to Never Forget the Spelling
Mnemonics are usually cheesy, but they save lives—or at least save face in professional emails.
Try this: Every X-tra Goofy Guy Eats Really Awesome Tasty Eggs.
It’s ridiculous. It makes no sense. But that’s why it sticks. Notice the two "G"s for "Goofy" and "Guy." If you can visualize two guys eating eggs, you’ve got the double "g" and the "ate" ending locked in.
Another way to think about it is the "Double-Double" rule. To exaggerate is to make things bigger, so you need a "big" spelling. That means doubling up on the letters that people usually forget. While it only actually has the double "g," the mindset of "more is more" helps you avoid the "exagerate" trap.
Comparing Common Misspellings
Look at these side-by-side.
- Exagerate (Wrong: Missing a G)
- Exaggerat (Wrong: Missing the E)
- Exagerrate (Wrong: Doubled the R instead of the G)
- Exaggerate (Correct: Two Gs, one R)
Notice that third one? Doubling the "r" is a very common mistake. People feel like the word needs more "stuff" in it to match the definition, so they throw an extra "r" in there for good measure. Don't do that. Keep the "r" lonely. It only needs one partner.
The Grammar of Being Extra
Knowing how to spell exaggerate is only half the battle; you also have to use it without sounding like a dictionary.
In linguistic terms, exaggeration is often called hyperbole. When you say, "I've told you a million times," you aren't lying in the malicious sense—you’re using a rhetorical device. Linguists like Deborah Tannen have noted that exaggeration is a key component of human rapport. We do it to emphasize emotion, not necessarily to convey literal facts.
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However, if you’re writing a formal report, "exaggerate" might be too informal. You might want to use "overstate" or "magnify." But for everyday storytelling? "Exaggerate" is the king of verbs.
Is it Exaggerated or Exaggerating?
The spelling stays consistent even when you change the tense.
- I exaggerated the story. (Add "d")
- He is exaggerating the truth. (Add "ing")
- She exaggerates her height. (Add "s")
The core—exaggerate—remains the same. You never lose a "g" and you never gain an "r," regardless of whether you're talking about the past, present, or future.
Why Do We Even Use This Word?
We live in an era of "clickbait" and "inflated egos," where everyone is trying to stand out. The word has never been more relevant. Whether it's a resume where someone "exaggerated" their proficiency in Excel or a fisherman talking about the one that got away, the act of heaping up the truth is a core human trait.
According to various etymological sources like the Oxford English Dictionary, the word first appeared in English in the mid-16th century. Back then, it literally meant to pile up or accumulate. It wasn't until later that it took on the metaphorical meaning of overstating a claim.
Think about that for a second. When you exaggerate, you are literally piling words on top of a simple fact until it looks like a mountain. That's a pretty cool way to look at language.
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Real-World Examples of Spelling Fails
Even major news outlets mess this up. You’ll occasionally see "exagerated" in a headline on a local news site because a tired editor bypassed the spellcheck. It’s a word that even professionals trip over.
If you're writing by hand—which, honestly, who does that anymore?—your brain doesn't have the benefit of autocorrect. That's where the "double g" rule becomes your best friend.
Actionable Steps to Master the Spelling
Don't just read this and forget it. If you want to permanently learn how to spell exaggerate, you need to build the muscle memory.
- Type it out ten times right now. No, seriously. Open a notepad or just type it into your search bar. Exaggerate. Exaggerate. Exaggerate. * Visualize the two Gs. Imagine them as two eyes looking at you. If there’s only one eye, the word looks weird, right?
- Check your autocorrect settings. Sometimes we accidentally save misspellings to our phone's dictionary. Go into your settings and make sure "exagerate" isn't a saved "correct" word in your personal dictionary.
- Use the "Heaping Up" trick. Remind yourself that the word means to heap up, so you need a "heap" of Gs.
Language is a tool. If you can’t spell the word for "making things bigger," your writing will feel smaller. Get the double "g" right, keep the "r" single, and end it with "ate."
Stop overthinking the "eight" sound. Stop trying to add an extra "r." Just focus on those two "g"s in the middle. Once you nail that, you'll never have to second-guess yourself again when you're trying to describe just how big that "huge" pizza actually was.