cul-de-sac

/ˈkʌldəsæk/

//ˈkʌldəsæk// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"cul-de-sac" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“cul-de-sac” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A blind alley or dead end street.

Key facts for cul-de-sac
PropertyValue
Headwordcul-de-sac
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkʌldəsæk/
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “cul-de-sac” sits in English frequency

cul-de-sac falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

cul-de-sac is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈkʌldəsæk/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

cul-de-sac has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French cul-de-sac, from cul (“bottom”) + de (“of”) + sac (“bag, sack”). The correct English form is cul-de-sac, spelled C-U-L---D-E---S-A-C.

Definition

  1. 1
    A blind alley or dead end street.
  2. 2
    A circular area at the end of a dead end street to allow cars to turn around, designed so children can play on the street, with little or no through-traffic.
  3. 3
    An impasse.
  4. 4
    A sacklike cavity, a tube open at one end only.

Etymology

Borrowed from French cul-de-sac, from cul (“bottom”) + de (“of”) + sac (“bag, sack”).

This word in other languages

Wendekreis(Deutsch)cul-de-sac(Português)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "cul-de-sac"?
"cul-de-sac" is spelled C-U-L---D-E---S-A-C. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkʌldəsæk/.
What does "cul-de-sac" mean?
As a noun, "cul-de-sac" means: A blind alley or dead end street.
How do you pronounce "cul-de-sac"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cul-de-sac" is /ˈkʌldəsæk/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "cul-de-sac"?
Borrowed from French cul-de-sac, from cul (“bottom”) + de (“of”) + sac (“bag, sack”). See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “cul-de-sac”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is C-U-L---D-E---S-A-C - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈkʌldəsæk/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list