Another pronunciation question, blond and blanc sounds so similar, how to tell the difference?

Bonjour! They are both nasal but when you say them in an exaggerated manner, note that "blond" is higher in the nose than "blanc." It is similar to "oh" versus "ah."

Mme

To distinguish between the pronunciations of "blond" and "blanc," you can follow these steps:

1. Understand the phonetic differences: "Blond" is pronounced as "blahnd" (rhyming with "pond"), while "blanc" is pronounced as "blahnk" (rhyming with "rank").

2. Pay attention to the vowel sounds: In "blond," the "o" sound is a long vowel, pronounced as "oh." In "blanc," the "a" sound is a short vowel, pronounced as "ah."

3. Focus on the consonant sounds: In "blond," the "d" is pronounced like a voiced "d" sound. In "blanc," the "c" is pronounced like an unvoiced "k" sound.

4. Practice listening to and repeating the words: You can search for audio resources online or use pronunciation apps that provide accurate pronunciations of various words.

5. Contextual clues: Consider the context in which the word is used. For example, "blond" primarily refers to a hair color, while "blanc" is a French word that means "white."

By following these steps, you should be able to differentiate between the pronunciations of "blond" and "blanc."