Pronunciation · Famously mispronounced words

How to pronounce “hyperbole”

hy-PUR-buh-lee

4 syllables · stress on “PUR”

hyPURbuhlee

Britishhaɪˈpɜːbəli

Americanhaɪˈpɜːrbəli

In short

“hyperbole” is pronounced hy-PUR-buh-lee: 4 syllables, with the stress on “PUR”. It shares its ending with “epitome” and behaves the same way: the final e is pronounced. The visible word “hyper” also pulls the stress wrongly onto the first syllable. The version to avoid is HY-per-bowl — three syllables ending like “bowl”.

Say “hyperbole” in 3 steps

1Four syllables: hy-PUR-buh-lee.
2Stress the second syllable, PUR — not “HY”.
3The -bole ending is buh-lee, never “bowl”.

The version to avoid

Commonly said as: HY-per-bowl — three syllables ending like “bowl”

It shares its ending with “epitome” and behaves the same way: the final e is pronounced. The visible word “hyper” also pulls the stress wrongly onto the first syllable.

Hear real people say it

Model audio is consistent; real speech is not. Hearing several actual speakers is what makes a word recognisable when someone says it at full speed.

Real speakers

2 human recordings

Actual people saying “hyperbole”, not a synthetic voice. Real speech varies — that variation is what you need to recognise, and what a single model voice cannot show you.

Recordings from Wikimedia Commons by Dvortygirl and Commander Keane, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 / CC BY-SA 4.0. Full credits.

Practise it out loud

Reading about a sound does not change your mouth. Say it, hear it back, and fix one thing at a time.

Say it yourself

0/6 practised

Listen first, then record. You get feedback on the individual sounds, the stress and the rhythm — no account needed, and nothing is stored.

Three speakers per accent

Recordings are used only to generate this feedback and are not stored. Your accent is never penalised: IELTS scores intelligibility, and so do we.

British vs American

American English pronounces the r in PUR; British RP does not, lengthening the vowel instead. Both are correct.

The sounds inside this word

Each links to a full guide with mouth position, audio and drills. If a word keeps failing, the problem is usually one of these.

aɪi as in my hh as in hat ɜːer as in bird bb as in bed əa as in about (schwa)ll as in light iːee as in see

More famously mispronounced words

Same pattern, same fix. Learning them as a group is far faster than one at a time.

epitomeih-PIT-uh-mee colonelKUR-nul awryuh-RY segueSEG-way cacheKASH facadefuh-SAHD

Frequently asked questions

How do you pronounce hyperbole?

hyperbole is pronounced hy-PUR-buh-lee, written /haɪˈpɜːbəli/ in IPA. Four syllables: hy-PUR-buh-lee.

How many syllables are in hyperbole?

four: hy-PUR-buh-lee. The stress falls on “PUR”.

What is the most common mistake with hyperbole?

HY-per-bowl — three syllables ending like “bowl”. It shares its ending with “epitome” and behaves the same way: the final e is pronounced. The visible word “hyper” also pulls the stress wrongly onto the first syllable.

Is hyperbole pronounced differently in British and American English?

American English pronounces the r in PUR; British RP does not, lengthening the vowel instead. Both are correct. IELTS accepts either accent, so choose one model and stay consistent.

The full sound library

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