fount of knowledge

Fount or Font of Knowledge? Which is Correct?

Vocabulary / By

Font and fount are easily confused with each other and can be used improperly. Font is most commonly used in American English, though you will find fount used as well, just with a different meaning. In British English, fount has the same meaning as it does in American English, with the addition of the meaning of font.

Fount and font are homonyms in the American English language. This is because they are spelled similarly, sound the same, but have two different meanings. In British English, the two words are not considered homonyms because they only use fount.

Font meaning

Font has two main meanings. First, it refers to something that holds holy water or other liquids. It also refers to an assortment of characters all in one style and one size. This body text is one font, and the headings are a separate font.

Font includes uppercase letters, lowercase letters, punctuation, symbols, and numbers. Changing what the font of a document looks like can change how people receive the information. Most fonts are designed to be easy to read and others are designed to be unique.

Examples
The font at the front of the church is full.

Times New Roman is the default font on a computer.

You can change your font with the click of a button.

I chose to make the font color red to make it seem more important.

Fount meaning

Fount has a few different meanings as well. The first meaning is an important source or supply of something. It can also mean a fountain, such as a water fountain or chocolate fountain. Fount is also a spring of water.

In British English, fount means the same thing as font, as well as the source or origin of something. Fount replaces the word font in England. British English adapted the word fount from the Latin fons. Fons means a spring.

Examples
Kids always think their parents are the fount of all information.

An old man is always a fount of wisdom.

Through endless research, she became a fount of knowledge on the subject.

That website is a fount of information about free speech.

Font vs. Fount

Fount can be used interchangeably with font due it being the British spelling of the word. However, font can’t be used in place of fount. This is because fount in American English has a different meaning than in British English.

The use of the word will depend on where you are when you use it. When you are talking about words on paper, in American English, the correct word is font. You might also see font used in British English, but it will more commonly be spelled fount.

In both American English and British English, fount means a source of supply or a supply of something. Think of a fountain to remember the difference. A fountain is a source of water and generates its own supply. A water spring is also considered a fount.

Font or Fount of Knowledge?

When talking about knowledge, the correct statement is fount of knowledge. This is because it is referring to a source of knowledge. A history book is considered a fount of knowledge about the past. An expert on a topic has a fount of knowledge on the topic. A fountain of knowledge is also acceptable and actually more common in Britain and Ireland.

Font or Fount of Wisdom?

Much like fount of knowledge, the phrase is also fount of wisdom. Usually, elderly people are called a fount of wisdom because they have lived a long life and are an endless source of wisdom and great advice to those younger than them.

Conor
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