How to pronounce migrate in American English

IPA /ˈmaɪˌgreɪt/ Syllables 2 · mahy·grayt Stress 1st syllable

MAHY·grayt

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Americans pronounce migrate as MAHY-grayt (/ˈmaɪˌgreɪt/). Stress falls on the first syllable — keep everything else short and quick.

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Sounds

75%

Clarity

68%

Stress

78%

Intonation

65%

Fluency

62%

Overall assessment

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72% Noticeable accent

Common mistakes

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

In "migrate", the "" is not released — the articulators get into position but hold without the burst of air. Air stops but there's no release burst — the articulators hold position.

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Stress falls on the first syllable, not the others. Stretch MAHY — keep everything else short and quick.

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Why it sounds different

Why "migrate" sounds like MAHY·GRAYT.

In "migrate", the "" is not released — the articulators get into position but hold without the burst of air. This is called the Unreleased Stops, the kind of sound shift that makes everyday speech feel effortless. It comes out as MAHY·GRAYT.

In real conversation

Hear "migrate" in the wild.

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"Birds migrate south for the winter to find warmer weather."

BURDZ MAHY·grayt SOWTH fer dhuh WIHN·ter tuh FAHYND WOR·mer WEH·dher

"Whales migrate thousands of miles every year to breed."

WAYLZ MAHY·grayt THOW·zuhndz uhv MAHYLZ EHV·ree YEER tuh BREED

Watch out

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

The textbook way isn't wrong — it's just not how anyone actually says it.

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

In "migrate", the "" is not released — the articulators get into position but hold without the burst of air. Air stops but there's no release burst — the articulators hold position.

migrate→MAHY·GRAYT

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Stress falls on the first syllable, not the others. Stretch MAHY — keep everything else short and quick.

mahy·GRAYT→MAHY·GRAYT

Questions

Questions people ask about this.

How is "migrate" stressed in American English?

Stress falls on the first syllable — say "MAHY" with a longer, fuller vowel and keep every other syllable short and quick. The respell "MAHY-grayt" marks the stressed syllable in capitals so the rhythm is easy to read at a glance.

Is the American pronunciation of "migrate" different from British English?

American English uses different vowel shapes, a relaxed retroflex R, and connected-speech tricks like flap-T and glottal-stop T that British Received Pronunciation generally avoids. The respell "MAHY-grayt" reflects the casual American form; British dictionaries typically print a citation form with crisper consonants and different vowel choices.

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Overall assessment

Common mistakes

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Why "migrate" sounds like MAHY·GRAYT.

Hear "migrate" in the wild.

Words that work the same way.

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Questions people ask about this.

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