3 syllables: É, mi, gré. Stress on gré.
ay-mig-RAY
/eɪ.mɪˈɡɹeɪ/
Émigré is pronounced ay-mig-RAY (/eɪ.mɪˈɡɹeɪ/). It has three syllables (É-mi-gré), with the stress on "gré". As a noun, émigré is a noun borrowed from French referring to a person who has left their country, especially for political reasons, and settled elsewhere. It conveys a sense of formal or journalistic usage and may carry political or historical nuance. In English, it’s used with emphasis on background status, often in discussions of refugees or exiles, and can imply lasting regional or cultural associations.
nounÉmigré is a noun borrowed from French referring to a person who has left their country, especially for political reasons, and settled elsewhere. It conveys a sense of formal or journalistic usage and may carry political or historical nuance. In English, it’s used with emphasis on background status, often in discussions of refugees or exiles, and can imply lasting regional or cultural associations.
"The émigré community in Paris maintained strong ties to their homeland."
"Several émigrés found new roles in academia and government consulting."
"The novel centers on an émigré's struggle to adapt to a new society."
In general American English: /ˌeɪ.mɪˈɡreɪ/ with stress on the third syllable, and a clear final 'ray' sound. The first syllable is a voiced long 'ay' as in 'day', second syllable is a soft 'mi' or 'mɪ' and the final syllable 'gré' /ˈɡreɪ/ features an open 'eɪ' vowel and a /ɡ/ consonant. For careful English diction, keep the final vowel sound crisp and avoid d dropping. In careful pronunciation, emphasize the last syllable slightly, as in many French loanwords in English.
Common errors include misplacing stress (placing it on the first syllable, em-), and rendering the final 'é' as /ɪ/ or /ə/. Another frequent issue is anglicizing the middle syllable as /ɪɡ/ with a strong stop, instead of /mɪˈɡreɪ/. Correction: keep the middle syllable relaxed with /mɪ/ and the final /ɡreɪ/ skimming into a clear long 'ay'. Also ensure the initial /eɪ/ is not reduced; hold the 'ay' sound similar to 'day'.
US: /ˌeɪ.mɪˈɡreɪ/ with rhotic emphasis optional, final /reɪ/ is clear. UK: /ˌeɪ.mɪˈɡreɪ/ similarly, but with non-rhotic influence, you may hear a slightly less pronounced /r/; Australian: /ˌeɪ.mɪˈɡreɪ/ and often with a more centralized or clipped vowel in /ə/ positions in connected speech, but final /reɪ/ remains strong. The main difference is rhoticity of the /r/ and vowel quality, not the basic syllable structure.
Two main challenges: the vowel sequence /eɪ/ in the first syllable and the final /eɪ/ in /g reɪ/, which may sound like 'em-i-grey' but actually keeps the middle /ɪ/ and ends with /ɡreɪ/. The acute accent hints a French origin, which guides expectation for a crisp final vowel. The consonant cluster /ɡr/ after /m/ can feel tight; keep it as a single /ɡ/ with a light /r/. Stress in English tends to fall on the last syllable, which can surprise learners who expect French-ish distribution.
Yes. In English usage, the final é is typically pronounced as /eɪ/ (as in 'day'), not as the open 'e' found in some French dialects. The acute accent signals a closed, long vowel; in loanword adoption, English speakers often preserve /eɪ/ in the final syllable. So the typical pronunciation centers on the /ɡreɪ/ ending.
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US: emphasize rhoticity and clear /ɡ/; UK: softer rhoticity, /r/ may be less pronounced; AU: similar to US but with slightly flatter vowels and faster pace. Vowel notes: /eɪ/ in first syllable, /ɪ/ in second, /ɡreɪ/ final; align lip rounding and jaw openness for each vowel. Reference IPA for accurate guidance.
Émigré comes directly from the French émigrer, from Old French ex-, meaning out of, and migre, from Latin migrare, to move or migrate. The noun form in French adds the accent aigu on the first e (é), signaling a closed 'ay' vowel. In English, the stress pattern tends to be on the second syllable (em-IG-ray) when anglicized, but traditional French pronunciation places primary stress more evenly or on the last syllable depending on speaker. First attested in English in the 18th century, the term gained prominence in contexts of political upheaval and diaspora. Over time, English usage often preserves the French diacritic to convey a literary or formal register, though some prefer emigre in non-accented form. The meaning has remained relatively stable: a person who has left their homeland, typically for political reasons, with connotations of exile or displacement in a social or cultural sense.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Émigré" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "Émigré"
-ire sounds
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