• 2-minute read
• 12th April 2013

Word Choice: Immigrate vs. Emigrate

If two words sound the same, it can be easy to mix them up in writing. The terms ‘immigrate’ and ’emigrate’, for instance, sound similar when spoken.

As a result, many people use ‘immigrate’ and ’emigrate’ incorrectly in their written work. In what follows, we provide a basic explanation of these terms to help you eliminate errors in your writing.

• Immigrate means ‘arrive and settle in a country where one is not native’.
• In contrast, emigrate means ‘leave a country and settle somewhere else’.

The difference between ‘immigrate’ and ’emigrate’ is significant: ‘immigrate’ emphasises arriving, while ’emigrate’ emphasises leaving.

For example, if an American leaves America and settles in Africa, from the perspective of a native African, the American has ‘immigrated’. However, from the perspective of another American, the American has ’emigrated’.

Due to the difference between these terms, it can be tricky to use them correctly. But if you remember that one emphasises arriving while the other emphasises leaving, you should have nothing to worry about.

If you want to be sure that you have used the correct words in your writing, it is a good idea to submit your work to Proofread My Essay. We can help you with word choice, grammar, spelling, referencing, and even formatting.