cul-de-sac
/ky.d(ə).sak/masculine
Dead end in French is cul-de-sac for a street that goes nowhere. You will also see impasse and voie sans issue. If unsure, use cul-de-sac.
Meaning: street or path that goes nowhere (noun)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| cul-de-sac | /ky.d(ə).sak/ | masculine |
| impasse | /ɛ̃.pas/ /ɛ̃.pɑs/ |
feminine |
| voie sans issue | /vwa sɑ̃.z‿i.sy/ | feminine |
cul-de-sac refers to a physical street or path that ends with no way through.
What does it mean word for word?
voie sans issue literally means way without exit.
Which one should you use?
cul-de-sac is mainly used for an actual street. impasse is also a street word but is the preferred term for a political, legal or logical deadlock. voie sans issue is what you see on road signs and in formal descriptions.
How does it change in a sentence?
cul-de-sac is masculine, while impasse and voie sans issue are feminine.
How do you pronounce it?
cul-de-sac is pronounced /ky.d(ə).sak/. The l of the first part is silent and the middle e is often dropped.
What mistakes should you avoid?
For a situation that is going nowhere, use impasse rather than cul-de-sac.
Did you know?
- The phrase cul-de-sac is borrowed directly into English, but in French, the word cul is a blunt term for 'bottom' or 'buttocks'.
- The word sans meaning 'without' evolved from a mix of the Latin words sine and absentia.
- Unlike the English 'dead end', which uses the word 'dead', the French voie sans issue focuses on the 'issue' or 'exit', emphasizing the lack of a way out rather than the end of the road.
Examples in context
- C'est une voie sans issue.This is a dead-end street.voie sans issue describes a street with no way out.Tatoeba #7555288 by Aiji, translation #2509475 by sharptoothed
- L'enquête est dans l'impasse.The investigation has hit a dead end.l'impasse here is figurative, an investigation that has stalled.Tatoeba #11225331 by lbdx, translation #8480500 by shekitten
- Nous nous dirigeons vers une impasse.We're heading down a dead end.une impasse is used for a plan or course of action going nowhere.Tatoeba #5716628 by Scorpionvenin14, translation #5715720 by CardinalRed
- Nous avons atteint une impasse dans les négociations.We've reached a dead end in the negotiations.
- Il habite au bout du cul-de-sac.He lives at the end of the dead end street.
- Prenez la première rue à gauche, c'est une voie sans issue.Take the first left, it's a dead end street.
- Tourne à droite… Ah non, c'est une rue sans issue !Turn right… Oh wait, it's a dead end street!
- 10 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hugo and Manon are driving and looking for a specific address.
- HugoEst-ce que cette rue est un cul-de-sac ?Is this street a dead end?
- ManonOui, Hugo, on ne peut pas passer.Yes, Hugo, we cannot pass through.
- HugoMince, je me suis trompé de route.Darn, I took the wrong road.
- ManonFais demi-tour, s'il te plaît.Please turn around.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “dead end” translations and entries cul-de-sac, impasse, voie sans issue, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries impasse, issue, sans, voie, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
