emigrate

/ˈɛmɪɡɹeɪt/

//ˈɛmɪɡɹeɪt// verb

"emigrate" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“emigrate” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #33,220 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#33,220
frequency rank, English
8
letters
11
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To leave the country in which one lives, especially one's native country, in order to reside elsewhere.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

emigrate vs emirate
88% similar
emigrate vs Emirates
63% similar
emigrate vs emigrant
75% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for emigrate
PropertyValue
Headwordemigrate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈɛmɪɡɹeɪt/
Letters8
Frequency rank#33,220
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “emigrate” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). emigrate lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for emigrate is 8 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɛmɪɡɹeɪt/. Corpus data places it at rank #33,220 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "To leave the country in which one lives, especially one's native country, in order to reside elsewhere.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for emigrate, with forms such as "eimgrate", "emgirate", and "emigarte". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "emirate", "Emirates", "emigrant", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin emigratus, perfect passive participle of emigro (“to move away, remove, depart from a place”), from ex- (“out of, from”) + migro (“to move, remove, depart”). The correct English form is emigrate, spelled E-M-I-G-R-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To leave the country in which one lives, especially one's native country, in order to reside elsewhere.

Etymology

From Latin emigratus, perfect passive participle of emigro (“to move away, remove, depart from a place”), from ex- (“out of, from”) + migro (“to move, remove, depart”).

Antonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: eimgrate,emgirate,emigarte,emiggrate,emigraet,emigratte,emigrrate,emigrtae,emirgate,emmigrate,meigrate

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of emigrate - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

eimgrate2emgirate2emigarte2emiggrate1emigraet2emigratte1emigrrate1emigrtae2
Edit distance from "emigrate"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "emigrate"?
"emigrate" is spelled E-M-I-G-R-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɛmɪɡɹeɪt/.
What does "emigrate" mean?
As a verb, "emigrate" means: To leave the country in which one lives, especially one's native country, in order to reside elsewhere.
What words are commonly confused with "emigrate"?
"emigrate" is commonly confused with "emirate", "Emirates", "emigrant". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "emigrate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "emigrate" is /ˈɛmɪɡɹeɪt/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "emigrate"?
From Latin emigratus, perfect passive participle of emigro (“to move away, remove, depart from a place”), from ex- (“out of, from”) + migro (“to move, remove, depart”). See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “emigrate”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is E-M-I-G-R-A-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈɛmɪɡɹeɪt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “emirate” - see the side-by-side comparison. emigrate vs emirate
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list