Confusing Words: Adjective
Meaning: (of hair) fair or pale yellow.
Blond vs Blonde Clarification: Both of these words are synonymous with fair or pale yellow.
Blond vs Blonde – What is the Difference, Definition & Meaning?
Most of the people think that one the above words is a spelling mistake but this is wrong. Both of these words are perfectly correct words to use within sentences. I will define each term with example sentences. In this way, the confused puzzle of blond and blonde will be solved.
Use of Blond and Blonde
Both of these words are synonymous with fair or pale yellow. These words are not originally from English language itself. The origin is from French which is the language where masculine and feminine forms are quite prominent. So, in English, a blonde is used to refer a fair or golden haired female whereas, a blond is used to refer a fair or golden haired male. For example,
1. I saw a beautiful girl who was a blonde.
2. I met a blond man.
Blond = Masculine
Blonde = Feminine
An Important Point
You can use blond (without –e) as an adjective for both males and females; but blonde (with –e) is only applicable for females not males. For example,
• The boy with blond hair. (Correct)
• The girl with blond hair. (Correct)
However,
• The blond thought to see himself in the picture. (male noun)
• The blonde smiled to see herself in the camera. (female noun)
American vs. British English
Most of the British publications use blond and blonde to highlight the masculine vs. feminine form. However, most of the American as well as Canadian English writers generally prefer to use blond for all purposes instead of blonde. The use of blond is more commonly seen in many American and Canadian publications.
For instance,
• The blonde bombshell revealed she had just finished getting a massage. (Daily Mail)
(The above example is taken from a British publication.)
Sexism Should be Avoided
Writers should be careful while writing because, sometimes, the text is considered to be sexist. For instance, if you use blonde as a noun and it is badly referring a woman which gives a bad interpretation of being sexist then, you should avoid it.
Check Out: What Are Compound Adjectives?
What Did You Learn?
Blond and blonde are synonymous with fair or pale yellow. A blonde is used to refer a fair or golden haired female whereas, a blond is used to refer a fair or golden haired male.
In British English, whether you are using nouns or adjectives, blond is always used for males and blonde for females.
On the other hand, in American English, blond is used for male nouns and blonde is used for female nouns. However, American English use blond as adjective for both males and females.