Blond or Blonde?

Blond Hair or Blonde Hair?

"Blond" and "blonde" are easy to confuse. Choosing "blond" or "blonde" has nothing to do with UK or US writing conventions. The gender of the person with fair hair determines whether you use "blond" or "blonde."

Top Tip

The rules for using "blond" and "blonde" are complicated, but here is the key point:
  • Only use "blonde," "blondes," or "blonde hair" if you know you're talking about a female or females.

More about "Blond" and "Blonde"

If you're using "blond" as an adjective , you cannot go wrong because the adjective "blond" is used for everything. However, if you know the person is female, you can use "blonde" as an adjective to showcase your writing skills.

The same is not true if you're using "blond" as a noun. If the person is female, you must use "blonde" (or "blondes" for the plural). If you're unsure of the gender (e.g., "the teacher," "all the teachers") or it's a mixed group ("all the team members"), then use "blond" or "blonds."
blond hair or blonde hair

Examples with "Blond"

  • "Blond" is a noun meaning a fair-haired male or males. For example:
    • He is a blond. correct tick
    • They are blonds. correct tick
  • "Blond hair" is a term used to describe the fair hair of a man, woman, someone of unknown gender, an object, or a group. For example:
    • He has blond hair. correct tick
    • She has blond hair. correct tick
    • The teacher has blond hair. correct tick
    • The doll has blond hair. correct tick
    • The team members all have blond hair. correct tick
  • "Blond" is an adjective used to describe anybody with fair hair.
    • He is a blond dancer. correct tick
    • She is a blond dancer. correct tick
    • I was talking about the blond teacher. correct tick
    • It is a blond doll. correct tick
    • I was talking about the blond team members. correct tick

Examples with "Blonde"

  • "Blonde" is a noun meaning a fair-haired female or females.
    • She is a blonde. correct tick
    • They are blondes. correct tick
  • "Blonde hair" is a term that can be used to describe the fair hair of a woman or a group of women. For example:
    • She has blonde hair. correct tick
    • They have blonde hair. correct tick
    • (You could also use "blond" in these two examples.)
  • "Blond" is an adjective used to describe a woman or women with fair hair.
    • She is a blonde dancer. correct tick
    • I was talking about the blonde team members. correct tick
    • (You could also use "blond" in these two examples.)

More about "Blond" and "Blonde"

Writers are often unsure whether to use "blond" or "blonde." The confusion is understanding because it depends whether you're using "blond/blonde" as an adjective or a noun. Here is a reminder of the key point: "Only use 'blonde' if you know you're talking about a female or females."

Blond or Blonde (As a Noun)

As a noun, "blonde" refers to a female. For everything else use "blond."

For example:

Males

  • My brother is a blond. correct tick
  • My brother is a blonde. wrong cross
  • My brothers are blonds. correct tick
  • My brothers are blondes. wrong cross

Females

  • The waitress is a blond. wrong cross
  • The waitress is a blonde. correct tick
  • The waitresses are blonds. wrong cross
  • The waitresses are blondes. correct tick

Neither Male nor Female or Unknown

  • The teacher is a blond. correct tick
  • The teacher is a blonde. wrong cross
  • The teachers are blondes. wrong cross
  • The teachers are blonds. correct tick

Blond or Blonde (As an Adjective)

As an adjective, "blond" is always correct. It can be used to describe males (e.g., man, king), females (e.g., duchess, actress), neuter objects (e.g., mannequin, toy), and plurals (e.g. men, kings, mannequins, duchesses, children).

However, to showcase your grammar skills, you can use "blonde" as an adjective to describe singular or plural females (e.g., girl, girls, sister, sisters).

For example:

Males

  • The blond waiter correct tick
  • The blonde waiter wrong cross
  • The blond brothers correct tick
  • The blonde brothers wrong cross

Females

  • The blonde waitress correct tick
  • The blond waitress correct tick
  • The blonde sisters correct tick
  • The blond sisters correct tick
Neither Male nor Female or Unknown
  • The blonde teacher wrong cross
  • The blond teacher correct tick
  • The blonde teachers wrong cross
  • The blond teachers correct tick

Brunet / Brunette

The same rules apply for "brunet" and "brunette." However, as the term "brunet" is rarely used to describe males (people always use "brown"), only "brunette" is seen.
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This page was written by Craig Shrives.