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Monday, February 21, 2011

Blond(s) vs. Blonde(s)

The difference between “blond” and “blonde” has escaped me for many years now. Finally, I looked it up and the difference will never me. It also makes for a good discussion/argument (depends on how you look at it or how defensive someone gets) in creative writing classes.

So, I digress…

“Blond” and “blonde” are spelled differently because they have two different meanings.

Blond:
Refers to the color! People have “blond” hair, golden retrievers have “blond” fur, that paint looks “blond,” etc.

Blonde:
Refers specifically to a female with blond hair. Therefore, my cousin is a “blonde” because she has blond hair.

Here’s the catch…
A male with blond hair is a “blond.” “Blonde” only is used when referring to females.

What if it's plural?
From what I have seen. If you are making it plural. You use "blonds" when referring to a group of males and "blondes" when referring to a group of females, or a group of males and females.
Exceptions…
Because of the female/male catch, some people believe that “blonde” is a sexist term and will not use that spelling. They spell everything as “blond.” So, I guess, if you are ever unsure, just use “blond” in all instances. However, if you want to be technically correct, differentiate appropriately.

The end!!!

14 comments:

  1. I never knew this. I would usually just write the e just because I like adding extra letters to words. Thanks for the knowledge :-)

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  2. Wow! This is fascinating stuff AubrieAnne! I never the difference between blond and blonde. I showed Moana and she was very surprised. Thanks for sharing : )

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  3. Awesome, didn't know this. I always thought it might be another of those pesky spelling difference between English US and English UK.
    Thanks for this :)

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  4. I didn't know this until last year when I had reason to look it up because t was in a novel I was reading. I always used to use the sexist version (before I knew it was sexist and there was an alternative spelling). English language is just too much sometimes. ;D Shah .X

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  5. Probably comes from French, where adding an "e" would make it feminine. I don't see how using "blonde" is sexist. I could just as easily say that using "blond" exclusively is even more sexist as it is the male term being applied to both genders.

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  6. I didn't know that! Learn something new every day :)

    Happy Monday!

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  7. Ooops, I've been using 'blonde' only. I guess that's me, being a brunette again! Thanks for the heads up!

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  8. Aubrie, first off I heart & miss you! I never knew the difference. I've actually never seen the spelling without an e. I always thought it was missing an e if I saw it like that!! :) Thanks for sharing this, I learned something new today.

    You rock and I hope school is not stressing you out!

    xoxo
    Katie

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  9. Hey Aubrie! I love the random things you write about sometimes, though it always seems to be so relevant!! For instance, I never thought about it in that way :-) Thanks for the info, as usual!!

    Love,

    The Creative Muslimah @ www.thecreativemuslimah.blogspot.com

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  10. Very interesting I have always spelled it with an "e" gonna have to re think my approach
    Thanks for the spelling lesson! You learn something new everyday

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  11. Toeveryone...Haha! Ever since I wrote this I have been noting this word in EVERYTHING I read. It's crazy. So far, it's been used pretty properly too. Keep all the good work lovely people!

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  12. Awesome! Thank you for the clarity!

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  13. I believe this also applies to which country you are in...as for many in the U.S. and Canada, there is not a different spelling for each gender. I believe the gender-specific spelling applies principally in England...here is a link that describes this more...http://grammarist.com/usage/blond-blonde/

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