The most common way to say 'white' in French is, of course, blanc (or its feminine form, blanche). But what about when you want to describe something that's off-white, snow-white, or pearly white? French, with its rich vocabulary, has a variety of words to describe the many shades and textures of this seemingly simple color. Whether you're describing a crisp shirt, a creamy sauce, or a winter landscape, knowing the right word will make your French sound much more natural and precise. Let's dive into nine different ways to talk about the color 'white' in French!

The standard 'white' – blanc/blanche

The standard 'white' – blanc/blanche

Blanc is the most common and direct French adjective for the color 'white'. It is one of the most fundamental color words you'll learn and use frequently.

Like all French adjectives, blanc must agree in gender and number with the noun it describes. Its feminine form is irregular, which is important to memorize:

blanc - masculine singular (e.g., un mur blanc)
blanche - feminine singular (e.g., une robe blanche)
blancs - masculine plural (e.g., des murs blancs)
blanches - feminine plural (e.g., des robes blanches)

In French, most adjectives of color are placed after the noun they modify. This is the standard and most frequent usage for blanc when you are describing the literal color of an object.

However, the meaning of blanc can change dramatically depending on whether it's placed before or after the noun. This is a key piece of nuance that signals a deeper understanding of French.

When blanc is placed after the noun, it almost always refers to the literal color 'white'. This is the straightforward, descriptive usage. For example, un cheval blanc means 'a white horse'—nothing more, nothing less.

When blanc is placed before the noun, its meaning shifts from literal to figurative. It often translates to 'blank', 'empty', or 'sleepless'. The most famous example is une nuit blanche, which means 'a sleepless night' or an 'all-nighter', not a night that is literally white.

Beyond placement rules, blanc appears in many common idiomatic expressions that are essential for fluency. For instance:

donner carte blanche - to give someone free rein or a blank check.
un mariage blanc - a sham marriage, for legal purposes.
voter blanc - to cast a blank vote in an election.

💡 * J'ai acheté une chemise blanche pour le mariage.

Après cette nuit blanche, je suis très fatigué.

Les murs de ma chambre sont blancs.

Le chef m'a donné carte blanche pour créer le nouveau menu.

Elle est devenue blanche de peur.

The 'off-white' or 'ecru' – blanc cassé/écru

The 'off-white' or 'ecru' – blanc cassé/écru

When pure white feels too stark, French offers two elegant alternatives: blanc cassé and écru. Blanc cassé literally translates to “broken white” and is a general term for off-white. Écru, a term that has also entered English, refers specifically to the unbleached, natural color of fabrics like linen or silk.

So why are there two terms? The choice often depends on context and material. Blanc cassé is a versatile descriptor for painted walls, plastics, or any surface that is a softened white. Écru is more specific to textiles and natural materials, evoking a raw, organic feel.

The use of cassé (broken) in color terminology is a fantastic insight into the French language. It implies that the purity of the white has been “broken” by adding a hint of another color (like yellow, grey, or beige). This 'breaks' the intensity, resulting in a softer, often warmer, shade.

You would describe your kitchen walls as blanc cassé for a cozy feel, but you would likely describe a stylish linen summer suit as écru. The former is about modifying a standard color, while the latter is about describing a color inherent to a material.

💡 * Les murs du salon sont peints en blanc cassé.

Elle porte une robe en soie écrue.

Je préfère le clavier en blanc cassé, c'est moins salissant.

Ces rideaux en lin écru iraient parfaitement avec le canapé.

La façade de la maison est d'un blanc cassé très chic.

1. The 'snow white' – blanc comme neige

The French expression blanc comme neige literally translates to "white as snow." While it can certainly describe the color of an object, its more common and interesting use is figurative, referring to a person's character rather than their appearance.

Figuratively, being blanc comme neige means to be completely innocent, blameless, or having a clean record. It's the direct equivalent of the English idiom "as pure as the driven snow" or to be "squeaky clean." It implies a total lack of guilt or wrongdoing.

A crucial grammar point is that the adjective blanc must agree in gender and number with the noun it describes. The comme neige part remains unchanged.

Masculine singular: blanc comme neige
Feminine singular: blanche comme neige
Masculine plural: blancs comme neige
Feminine plural: blanches comme neige

This expression is often used to strongly assert one's own innocence or to describe someone believed to be morally irreproachable. You'll frequently hear it in contexts of accusations or scandals, where someone is defending their reputation.

The phrase is almost always used with the verb être (to be). For example, Il prétend être blanc comme neige means "He claims to be completely innocent."

💡 * Le suspect a juré au juge qu'il était blanc comme neige dans cette affaire. (The suspect swore to the judge that he was innocent in this affair.)

Elle n'est pas si blanche comme neige qu'elle le dit. (She is not as innocent as she says.)

Après l'enquête, ils ont été déclarés blancs comme neige. (After the investigation, they were declared completely blameless.)

Sa réputation est blanche comme neige ; personne ne doute de son honnêteté. (Her reputation is squeaky clean; no one doubts her honesty.)

The 'ivory' white – ivoire

The French word for the color 'ivory' is ivoire. It describes a creamy, off-white shade, evoking the natural material from which it gets its name.

Ivoire is commonly used in fashion, art, and interior design to describe a soft, elegant, and warm shade of white. It's considered a classic and sophisticated color.

As a color adjective derived from a noun (l'ivoire, the material), ivoire is invariable. This means it does not change its form to agree with the gender or number of the noun it describes. It always remains ivoire.

💡 * Sa robe de mariée est ivoire. (Her wedding dress is ivory.)

Nous avons acheté des rideaux ivoire pour le salon. (We bought ivory curtains for the living room.)

Le clavier de ce piano ancien a des touches ivoire. (The keyboard of this old piano has ivory keys.)

Il portait un costume en lin ivoire. (He was wearing an ivory linen suit.)

The 'pearly' white – nacré

The adjective nacré translates to "pearly" or "nacreous." It comes directly from the French word for mother-of-pearl, nacre, and describes anything with a similar iridescent, shimmering luster.

You'll often encounter nacré when describing cosmetics (like lipstick or eyeshadow), special car paints, luxurious fabrics, and decorative finishes that have a subtle, shifting glow rather than a flat color.

Crucially, as an adjective, nacré must agree in gender and number with the noun it modifies. Remember the four forms: nacré (masculine singular), nacrée (feminine singular), nacrés (masculine plural), and nacrées (feminine plural).

💡 * J'ai choisi un vernis à ongles nacré pour le mariage.

La voiture a une magnifique peinture nacrée bleue.

Ses joues avaient des reflets nacrés sous la lumière de la lune.

Elle portait des boucles d'oreilles nacrées qui scintillaient.

The 'milky' white – laiteux

When you want to describe a specific kind of white that resembles milk, the French adjective you need is laiteux (feminine: laiteuse). Directly derived from lait (milk), it perfectly captures the essence of a cloudy, opaque white, much like the color and consistency of milk itself.

The primary use of laiteux is to describe the physical appearance of something. It's often used for liquids, skies, or materials that are not transparent or brilliantly white, but rather have a cloudy, semi-opaque quality. Think of a hazy sky (un ciel laiteux) or a murky liquid.

In a more literary or descriptive context, laiteux can be used to describe a person's complexion. A teint laiteux refers to a very pale, almost translucent white skin tone. It evokes a delicate, sometimes ethereal quality, and is a common descriptor in literature for characters with fair skin.

It's important to distinguish laiteux from blanc (white). While blanc is the general term for the color white, laiteux is much more specific. It implies a lack of clarity and a soft, non-gleaming quality. You wouldn't describe a fresh sheet of paper as laiteux, but you would describe a glass of water with a drop of milk in it that way.

💡 * Le ciel est devenu laiteux juste avant l'averse. (The sky turned a milky white just before the downpour.)

Elle a un teint laiteux qui contraste joliment avec ses cheveux bruns. (She has a milky complexion that contrasts nicely with her brown hair.)

L'eau de la rivière était laiteuse à cause des sédiments. (The river water was milky because of the sediment.)

La pierre d'opale a de beaux reflets laiteux. (The opal stone has beautiful milky reflections.)

The 'chalky' white – blanc craie

The French term blanc craie literally translates to 'chalk white'. It is used to describe a specific shade of white, often an off-white or soft white, that resembles the color of a piece of chalk.

A key grammatical point for compound color adjectives derived from a noun (like craie for 'chalk') is that they are invariable. This means blanc craie does not change to agree in gender or number with the noun it modifies.

You would use it to describe the color of paint, fabric, cars, or any object. For example, you would say une voiture blanc craie (a chalk-white car) or des murs blanc craie (chalk-white walls), not blanche craie or blancs craie.

💡 * J'ai choisi une peinture blanc craie pour le salon. (I chose a chalk-white paint for the living room.)

Elle portait une robe d'été blanc craie. (She was wearing a chalk-white summer dress.)

Les façades de ces maisons sont d'un blanc craie éclatant. (The facades of these houses are a brilliant chalk white.)

Ce modèle de voiture est très populaire en blanc craie. (This car model is very popular in chalk white.)

The 'pale' or 'pallid' white – pâle/blafard

The most direct and common translation for 'pale' is pâle. It's a neutral term used to describe a lack of vibrant color, most often referring to someone's complexion when they are tired or unwell. It's also frequently used to describe light or soft colors, such as bleu pâle (pale blue) or rose pâle (pale pink).

A more intense and often negative synonym is blafard. This word translates more accurately to 'pallid,' 'wan,' or 'ghastly.' It implies a sickly, unnatural, or dreary lack of color, and is much stronger than pâle.

Use pâle for general paleness. For example, you might look pâle after a long day. Use blafard to describe a more unsettling or dramatic paleness. A person's face might be blafard from shock or serious illness. Blafard is also commonly used in literature to describe a weak, dreary light, like that of a winter moon or a dim lamp.

💡 * Tu as l'air un peu pâle, est-ce que tu te sens bien ? (You look a bit pale, are you feeling okay?)

Son visage était blafard sous la lumière froide du néon. (His face was pallid under the cold neon light.)

Le soleil d'hiver jetait une lueur blafarde sur le paysage enneigé. (The winter sun cast a pallid glow over the snowy landscape.)

Elle portait une robe d'un joli vert pâle. (She was wearing a pretty, pale green dress.)

1. The 'Alabaster' White: Albâtre

The French word albâtre is a noun that directly translates to 'alabaster' in English. It refers to the fine-grained, translucent form of gypsum, a mineral often used in carving and decorative arts, which is typically pure white.

More poetically, albâtre is used as an adjective to describe a specific type of white. When something is described as d'un blanc d'albâtre or simply albâtre, it means it has a smooth, milky, and pure whiteness, similar to the stone. It's most commonly used to describe skin, evoking a sense of classical beauty and paleness.

This is a literary and elevated term. You would not use it in everyday conversation to describe a white car or a white wall; for that, you would use the standard adjective blanc (or blanche). Albâtre is reserved for descriptive, often romantic or artistic contexts.

As a rule in French, when a noun (like albâtre, orange, marron) is used as a color adjective, it becomes invariable. This means albâtre does not change to agree in gender or number with the noun it modifies. For example: des mains d'albâtre (alabaster hands), not albâtres.

💡 * La statue était taillée dans un bloc d'albâtre pur. (The statue was carved from a block of pure alabaster.)

La poésie décrivait son teint d'albâtre et ses cheveux de jais. (The poetry described her alabaster complexion and her jet-black hair.)

Elle avait des mains d'albâtre, fines et délicates. (She had alabaster hands, fine and delicate.)

Le cou de la jeune fille était d'une blancheur d'albâtre. (The young girl's neck was of an alabaster whiteness.)

Are there other ways to say 'white' in French?

So, are there other ways to say 'white' in French?

Our guide covers the most common ways to say 'white' in French, from the standard blanc/blanche to specific shades. But the French language, with its rich artistic and literary history, has a vast palette of terms. You'll find everything from old-fashioned words to highly technical terms used in fashion or painting.

You can discover more specific terms by doing an online search for 'nuances de blanc en français' (shades of white in French). This will lead you to beautiful and precise words like ivoire (ivory), albâtre (alabaster), écru (ecru), and blanc cassé (off-white).

Always remember to check the context. The word for 'white' on a paint swatch might not be the same one used to describe wine or a piece of clothing. Pay special attention to idiomatic expressions, where blanc can have a figurative meaning, such as in 'une nuit blanche' (a sleepless night).

Pay attention as you read French literature, browse design magazines, or watch French films. Notice how different shades of white are described. This is an excellent way to absorb the subtle connotations and cultural significance of each term.

If you're looking for more synonyms or related expressions, the online dictionary Larousse has excellent articles on color palettes. For specific idiomatic uses, the WordReference entry and forums for 'blanc' are a fantastic resource.

I hope this article was helpful in exploring the many shades of 'white' in French. To finish, here's a fitting quote from French painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir: 'Je me suis battu toute ma vie pour savoir peindre le blanc.' (I have struggled my whole life to know how to paint white.) This perfectly captures the beauty and complexity that can be found in a single color.

'9 ways to say "white" in French'