Blond

How to spell blond

5 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce blond

What does blond mean?

1. adjectiveHaving fair or pale yellow hair, often used of a man or in a general, gender-neutral way.
2. nounA person, typically a man or used generally, who has fair or pale yellow hair.

Blond in a sentence

• adjective

  The toddler had soft blond curls that caught the light.

• noun

  The tall blond at the reception desk handed me a visitor badge.

• adjective

  He kept his blond hair cropped short for work.

• noun

  Both brothers are blond while their sister has dark hair.

Where does blond come from?

Language of origin: French

This word came into English from the Old French blund or blont, meaning 'a yellowish, fair colour', used especially of hair. The French form is thought to derive from a Medieval Latin word blundus, a regional variant of flavus, which meant 'yellow' or 'golden'. Some scholars trace it further to a Germanic root linked to the idea of 'mixed' or 'dyed' colour, since fair hair was sometimes lightened, so the exact lineage is debated. English adopted it in the 1400s and, following French grammar, kept two spellings: 'blond' for the masculine or general form and 'blonde' for the feminine. That borrowed gender distinction is the main spelling trap, because modern English usually has no separate feminine endings, so writers are unsure whether to keep the final 'e'.

How the word is built

• blond (fair-haired, from Old French blund)
• no affix

Words that sound like blond

They sound the same but mean different things, so the meaning decides which spelling to write.

• blonde: Having fair or golden hair, traditionally used of a woman or girl.