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"Emigrate" is to leave your country; "immigrate" is to arrive in a new country.
Side-by-side comparison
"Emigrate" describes the departure: you leave your home country. The perspective is from the place you are leaving. It pairs with "from": "emigrate from Mexico".
Thousands of people emigrated from Ireland during the Great Famine.
My grandparents emigrated from Italy in the 1950s to find better opportunities.
She decided to emigrate from her home country after years of political instability.
"Immigrate" describes the arrival: you come to live in a new country. The perspective is from the place you are arriving at. It pairs with "to": "immigrate to Canada".
Over one million people immigrated to Canada last year alone.
His family immigrated to the United States from Mexico in the 1980s.
The government created new policies for people wishing to immigrate legally.
Common mistake
- •The same person emigrates from their country and immigrates to the new one.
- •Key prepositions: "emigrate FROM" (leaving), "immigrate TO" (arriving).
- •A Colombian moving to Canada emigrates from Colombia and immigrates to Canada.
Trick to remember it
- •The first letter reveals it: EMIGRATE starts with E for EXIT (you leave, go out of your country). IMMIGRATE starts with I for INTO (you enter, arrive in the new country).
- •Confirm with the prepositions: emigrate FROM your home country. Immigrate TO the destination country.
Quick rule
- •"Emigrate" = leave a country (FROM).
- •"Immigrate" = arrive in a new country (TO).
- •Same person, two words depending on perspective.
Did you know?
The Latin prefix "e-/ex-" means "outward" and "im-/in-" means "inward". This logic permeates English: export/import, exhale/inhale, external/internal, exclude/include. Once you internalize this prefix rule, emigrate/immigrate will never confuse you again. The word "migrant" (no prefix) is neutral and describes someone who moves between countries without specifying direction.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
Her parents _____ d to Canada from Mexico in the 1980s.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
Many skilled workers _____ to Australia every year in search of better opportunities.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Related word pairs
They look similar but mean very different things and are pronounced differently.
One is the general activity of traveling, the other is a specific, countable journey.
"Above" is at a higher level without contact; "over" implies covering, movement, or crossing.
'Currently' means 'at the present time'; 'actually' means 'in reality', not 'nowadays'.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy