diff --git a/django/views/debug.py b/django/views/debug.py
index f7c685893c..1a72ec0405 100644
--- a/django/views/debug.py
+++ b/django/views/debug.py
@@ -1193,7 +1193,11 @@ TECHNICAL_404_TEMPLATE = """
           </li>
         {% endfor %}
       </ol>
-      <p>The current URL, <code>{{ request_path|escape }}</code>, didn't match any of these.</p>
+      <p>
+        {% if request_path %}
+        The current path, <code>{{ request_path|escape }}</code>,{% else %}
+        The empty path{% endif %} didn't match any of these.
+      </p>
     {% else %}
       <p>{{ reason }}</p>
     {% endif %}
diff --git a/tests/view_tests/tests/test_debug.py b/tests/view_tests/tests/test_debug.py
index ba6e6defee..44a6a360e4 100644
--- a/tests/view_tests/tests/test_debug.py
+++ b/tests/view_tests/tests/test_debug.py
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import sys
 import tempfile
 from unittest import skipIf
 
+from django.conf.urls import url
 from django.core import mail
 from django.core.files.uploadedfile import SimpleUploadedFile
 from django.db import DatabaseError, connection
@@ -28,9 +29,10 @@ from django.views.debug import (
 
 from .. import BrokenException, except_args
 from ..views import (
-    custom_exception_reporter_filter_view, multivalue_dict_key_error,
-    non_sensitive_view, paranoid_view, sensitive_args_function_caller,
-    sensitive_kwargs_function_caller, sensitive_method_view, sensitive_view,
+    custom_exception_reporter_filter_view, index_page,
+    multivalue_dict_key_error, non_sensitive_view, paranoid_view,
+    sensitive_args_function_caller, sensitive_kwargs_function_caller,
+    sensitive_method_view, sensitive_view,
 )
 
 if six.PY3:
@@ -44,6 +46,10 @@ class User(object):
         return 'jacob'
 
 
+class WithoutEmptyPathUrls:
+    urlpatterns = [url(r'url/$', index_page, name='url')]
+
+
 class CallableSettingWrapperTests(SimpleTestCase):
     """ Unittests for CallableSettingWrapper
     """
@@ -115,6 +121,11 @@ class DebugViewTests(LoggingCaptureMixin, SimpleTestCase):
         self.assertNotContains(response, "Raised by:", status_code=404)
         self.assertContains(response, "<code>not-in-urls</code>, didn't match", status_code=404)
 
+    @override_settings(ROOT_URLCONF=WithoutEmptyPathUrls)
+    def test_404_empty_path_not_in_urls(self):
+        response = self.client.get('/')
+        self.assertContains(response, "The empty path didn't match any of these.", status_code=404)
+
     def test_technical_404(self):
         response = self.client.get('/views/technical404/')
         self.assertContains(response, "Raised by:", status_code=404)