How do you say “A dead ringer” in French?
The closest natural French equivalent is être le portrait craché de quelqu’un, which literally means “to be someone’s spat-out portrait”. English speakers use a dead ringer to mean someone or something that looks almost exactly like another. A familiar French expression for looking remarkably like someone. It is especially useful for people and family resemblance. Register: informal. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural French
être le portrait craché de quelqu’un
/ɛtʁ lə pɔʁtʁɛ kʁaʃe də kɛlkœ̃/
- Literal meaning
- “to be someone’s spat-out portrait”
- Register
- informal
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Near-exact equivalent
95 out of 100
What a native French speaker would actually say
“C’est le portrait craché de sa mère” is a strong statement about resemblance. It does not mean the two share the same character.
Keep this expression for a person’s likeness. For two objects, “une copie conforme” or a plain comparison may fit better.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning5 out of 5
- Tone5 out of 5
- Context4 out of 5
- Literal similarity2 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
In context
English
With that haircut, Maya is a dead ringer for her aunt.
French
Avec cette coupe de cheveux, Maya est le portrait craché de sa tante.
English
The actor was a dead ringer for our old maths teacher.
French
L’acteur était le portrait craché de notre ancien professeur de maths.
Related expressions
Last updated 2026-11-13