migraine

\mi.ɡʁɛn\

/\mi.ɡʁɛn\/ noun

The verdict

“migraine” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #19,600 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#19,600
frequency rank, French
8
letters
11
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Maladie chronique caractérisée par des céphalées localisées récurrentes (douleurs qui affectent une partie de la tête), associées à des nausées ou une exacerbation sensorielle entrainant une photop...

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

migraine vs migrant
75% similar
migraine vs mitaine
75% similar
migraine vs migraines
89% similar

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

Key facts for migraine
PropertyValue
Headwordmigraine
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\mi.ɡʁɛn\
Letters8
Frequency rank#19,600
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “migraine” sits in French 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). migraine 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 French entry for migraine is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \mi.ɡʁɛn\. Corpus data places it at rank #19,600 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for migraine, with forms such as "imgraine", "mgiraine", and "migarine". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "migrant", "mitaine", "migraines", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct French form is migraine, spelled M-I-G-R-A-I-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Maladie chronique caractérisée par des céphalées localisées récurrentes (douleurs qui affectent une partie de la tête), associées à des nausées ou une exacerbation sensorielle entrainant une photophobie ou phonophobie (craintes de la lumière ou des sons).
  2. 2
    , parfois Fort mal de tête.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: imgraine,mgiraine,migarine,miggraine,migraien,migrainne,migranie,migriane,migrraine,mirgaine,mmigraine

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of migraine - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

imgraine2mgiraine2migarine2miggraine1migraien2migrainne1migranie2migriane2
Edit distance from "migraine"

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 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "migraine"?
"migraine" is spelled M-I-G-R-A-I-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is \mi.ɡʁɛn\.
What does "migraine" mean?
As a noun, "migraine" means: Maladie chronique caractérisée par des céphalées localisées récurrentes (douleurs qui affectent une partie de la tête), associées à des nausées ou une exacerbation sensorielle entrainant une photop...
What words are commonly confused with "migraine"?
"migraine" is commonly confused with "migrant", "mitaine", "migraines". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "migraine"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "migraine" is \mi.ɡʁɛn\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "migraine" come from?
"migraine" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 “migraine”

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

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