How do you say “Down to the wire” in German?
The closest natural German equivalent is bis zuletzt, which literally means “until the very end”. English speakers use down to the wire to mean continuing until the final moment before a result or deadline. A natural German way to express the timing. Add what remained uncertain or unfinished to keep the tension of the English. Register: neutral. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural German
bis zuletzt
/bɪs tsuˈlɛtst/
- Literal meaning
- “until the very end”
- Register
- neutral
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Near-exact equivalent
91 out of 100
What a native German speaker would actually say
“Das Ergebnis blieb bis zuletzt offen” means the outcome stayed undecided until the end. The uncertainty comes from “offen”, not from “bis zuletzt” alone.
For a deadline, “bis zur letzten Minute” is another useful choice. Both need the surrounding sentence to show why the timing mattered.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning4 out of 5
- Tone4 out of 5
- Context5 out of 5
- Literal similarity1 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
In context
English
The vote went down to the wire; the result stayed uncertain until the end.
German
Bei der Abstimmung blieb das Ergebnis bis zuletzt ungewiss.
English
The negotiations went down to the wire before we finally agreed on a price.
German
Die Verhandlungen zogen sich bis zuletzt hin, bevor wir uns endlich auf einen Preis einigten.
Related expressions
Last updated 2026-11-04