How to Pronounce Migraine

Migraine is pronounced MY-grayn. The first syllable rhymes with 'my,' and the second syllable rhymes with 'rain.' Say it like you're combining the words 'my' and 'rain' together.

The first syllable gets the stress: MY-grayn. You say 'MY' louder and longer, then quickly say 'grayn.' A common mistake is stressing the second syllable, which would sound like 'mi-GRAYN'—but that's not correct.

Migraine breaks into two syllables: mi-graine. The first syllable is 'mi' (like in the word 'mint'), and the second syllable is 'graine' (rhyming with 'rain').

In plain English, a migraine is a severe type of headache. The word describes one specific condition, not just any headache—it's a medical term for a particular neurological condition.

The word 'migraine' comes from the Greek word 'hemicrania,' which means 'half of the head.' This makes sense because migraines often affect one side of the head more than the other. Over time, the word changed and became 'migraine' in English.

The word 'hemicranial' (hem-i-KRAY-nee-ul) also comes from the same Greek root meaning 'half the head.' Both words use 'cranium,' which is the medical term for the skull.

Many people mispronounce it as 'mi-GRAYN' by stressing the second syllable instead of the first. The correct way is MY-grayn, with the stress on 'MY.' You might also hear people say 'my-GRAIN' (rhyming with 'grain' the food), but the correct ending sound is 'grayn' (like 'rain').

Here are two examples: 'The word migraine appears often in medical dictionaries' or 'People use the term migraine when talking about a specific type of intense headache.' These sentences show how the word is used in everyday medical conversation.