Electronic absorption, excitation and fluorescence spectra of fluorenone and 4-hydroxyfluorenone were recorded at room temperature in several aprotic solvent of varying polarities. The ground (mu(g)) and excited (mu(e)) state dipole moments of both molecules were estimated from solvatochromic shifts of absorption and fluorescence spectra as a function of the dielectric constant (epsilon) and refractive index (n). These experimental results were completed with theoretical results of quantum chemical calculations (AM1). The experimental and theoretical dipole moments in the ground state were compared. It was determined that dipole moments of excited state were higher than those of the ground state for both molecules.