Blond vs Blonde
Published January 17, 2023. Updated January 17, 2023.
Blond and Blonde are the same word: Both refer to someone who has light-colored hair. So why are there two different spellings? Well, the words blond and blonde came from French. French is a language that has gendered words. All nouns are either masculine or feminine, and this does not refer just people: all things are either masculine or feminine too! Adjectives are gendered as well; the adjective has to match the gender of the noun it is describing. This sounds a little strange to English speakers because English is not a gendered language.
So, technically, blond refers to a man with light-colored hair, while blonde refers to a woman with light-colored hair. However, since English is not gendered, many people don’t follow this convention. It is more common to see blond (without an -e) refer to both men and women. Whichever way you prefer to spell them, just be consistent.
Here are some definitions and examples to help make the use of these words clearer.
Blond (adjective)
Describing someone (usually a male) with light-colored hair.
Examples:
In the beaches of California, it’s common to see blond surfer dudes trying to
catch waves.
Most northern European men are blond.
In the sample sentences above, the context makes it clear that the word blond is describing men.
Blonde (adjective)
Describing someone (usually a female) with light-colored hair.
Examples:
My black hair helps me stands out among all the blonde cheerleaders.
Yes, my daughter’s blonde hair is completely natural.
In these examples, the context makes it clear that the adjective blonde is describing women.
Main Points
- Blond usually refers to men with light-colored hair.
- Blonde usually refers to women with light-colored hair.
- However, it’s not an absolute rule. You can use blond to refer to both men and women.