cul-de-sac
/kyd.sak/
The verdict
“cul-de-sac” is uncommon Portuguese (outside the top frequency list), classed as a phrase. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency Portuguese
- 10
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - rua sem saída; beco sem saída (via apenas com uma entrada)
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | cul-de-sac |
| Language | Portuguese |
| Part of speech | Phrase |
| IPA | /kyd.sak/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “cul-de-sac” sits in Portuguese frequency
Rare enough to double-check
cul-de-sac is uncommon Portuguese outside the top frequency list, classed as aphrase, transcribed /kyd.sak/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
Zero misspellings are on record for cul-de-sac in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct Portuguese form is cul-de-sac, spelled C-U-L---D-E---S-A-C.
Definition
- 1rua sem saída; beco sem saída (via apenas com uma entrada)
- 2beco sem saída (situação complicada, difícil de resolver)
Synonyms
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
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Using “cul-de-sac”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct Portuguese spelling is C-U-L---D-E---S-A-C - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /kyd.sak/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more Portuguese words and confusable pairs in the same reference. Portuguese 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.