Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| puzzle | /pœ.zœl/ /pœzl/ |
masculine |
| casse-tête | /kas.tɛt/ /kɑs.tɛt/ |
masculine |
| jeu de patience | masculine |
The term refers to a game, toy or problem that requires mental effort to complete or work out, intended as a pastime or to test one's ability. While puzzle can describe any mental problem, it most commonly refers to a jigsaw puzzle. When you want to say you are solving a puzzle, you use the verb résoudre.
What does it mean word for word?
The word casse-tête is literally a 'head-breaker'.
Which one should you use?
puzzle is most often used to mean a jigsaw puzzle. In contrast, casse-tête is more common for abstract brain teasers or riddles rather than physical jigsaw puzzles.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In French-speaking Switzerland, the term grille is used to refer to a puzzle, typically one associated with crosswords.
How does it change in a sentence?
All three forms, puzzle, casse-tête and jeu de patience, are masculine nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
/pœ.zœl/
Did you know?
- While jeu de patience is a term for a puzzle, it shares its root with the English word 'patience', which stems from the Latin 'patientia' meaning 'to suffer' or 'to endure'.
- If a French person describes a task as un vrai casse-tête, they are likely complaining about a bureaucratic ordeal rather than a game.
- Unlike English, which uses 'solve' for both a crime and a jigsaw puzzle, French speakers use résoudre for the logic but rarely for the physical act of fitting pieces together.
Examples in context
- J'ai acheté un nouveau puzzle.I bought a new jigsaw puzzle.This sentence shows how to use puzzle when talking about a purchase.Tatoeba #7705162 by lbdx, translation #6616506 by Eccles17
- Il manque une pièce à ce puzzle.There's a piece missing from this puzzle.This sentence shows how to describe a missing piece in a puzzle.Tatoeba #11702457 by lbdx, translation #6704008 by CK
- Le puzzle était quasiment terminé.The puzzle was almost finished.This sentence shows how to describe the progress of a puzzle.Tatoeba #11232309 by lbdx, translation #8219085 by Hybrid
- La résolution de cette énigme est un défi intellectuelSolving this puzzle is an intellectual challenge
- Elle aime résoudre des casse-têtes pendant son temps libreShe loves solving puzzles in her free time
- Tu as des énigmes à résoudre ?Do you have any puzzles to solve?
- As-tu réussi à résoudre la charade ?Did you manage to solve the puzzle?
- Cette énigme est assez difficile à résoudre.This puzzle is quite difficult to solve.
- J'ai terminé le puzzle hier soir. C'était amusant !I finished the puzzle last night. It was fun!
- 10 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Manon and Nathan are cleaning up the living room.
- ManonTu as fini ton puzzle, Nathan ?Did you finish your puzzle, Nathan?
- NathanNon, ce puzzle est beaucoup trop difficile.No, this puzzle is much too difficult.
- ManonJe peux t'aider à le terminer.I can help you finish it.
- NathanMerci, Manon, c'est très gentil.Thanks, Manon, that is very kind.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “puzzle” translations and entries puzzle, casse-tête, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries casse-tête, de, jeu, patience, puzzle, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
