ほど, coming from the kanji 程(ほど) ‘an extent’, is used for describing rough estimates about the ‘amount’ of something. However, unlike expressions such as くらい (which focuses more on the speaker’s uncertainty about the exact number), ほど puts emphasis on the upper (or lower) limit of something as having been ‘reached’. Due to this, it is usually translated as ‘so much that (A)’, or ‘to the extent that (A)’.
ほど can be added on to the end of the 連体形(れんたいけい) (attributive form) of any word. The 連体形(れんたいけい) being the form that is able to be partnered directly with nouns.
-
死(し)ぬほど練習(れんしゅう)したけれど、試合(しあい)に出(で)られなかった。
I practiced myself to death, but I was not able to enter the tournament.
その気持(きも)ちは痛(いた)いほど分(わか)かるけど、だからってそういう事(こと)言(い)ってもいいと言(い)う訳(わけ)では無(な)いよ。
I understand how you feel to the point that it hurts, but that doesn't mean that you can say stuff like that.
それは嫌(いや)なほど聞(き)かされたから、分(わ)かってる。
I have been told that so much that I don't want to hear it anymore, I get it.
あと10分(ぷん)ほどで着(つ)きます。
I will be there in about 10 minutes.
Although くらい may be used to describe something that is ‘around’ a certain extent (regardless of whether it is above or below that extent), 程(ほど) refers specifically to the ‘limit’ of something, and therefore cannot be used to describe something that exceeds the stated limit. Due to this, it is regularly used to express some sort of exaggerated limit of (A), when the real extent is far below that.