# hyperbole

> English word · Noun · IPA /haɪˈpɜːbəli/ · frequency rank #31,608

## Definitions
1. Deliberate or unintentional overstatement, particularly extreme overstatement.
2. An instance or example of such overstatement.
3. A hyperbola.

## Etymology
From Middle English iperbole, yperbole, from Latin hyperbolē, from Ancient Greek ὑπερβολή (huperbolḗ, “excess, exaggeration”), from ὑπέρ (hupér, “above”) + βάλλω (bállō, “I throw”, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʷelH-). Doublet of hyperbola.

## Easily confused with
- **hyperbolic** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hyperbole-vs-hyperbolic)

## Common misspellings (14)
`hhyperbole`, `hpyerbole`, `hyeprbole`, `hypebrole`, `hyperbbole`, `hyperbloe`, `hyperboel`, `hyperbolle`, `hyperoble`, `hyperrbole`, `hypperbole`, `hyprebole`, `hyyperbole`, `yhperbole`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/hyperbole