Colour Names

A colour name is a region, not a point. This lexicon records what each common name covers, where its edges are, which names overlap, and why teal, mauve or taupe start arguments.

Ranges are Colourwise's reading of common English usage, anchored on cited reference values, and are stated as such. Other languages divide colour differently and are not assumed to map one-to-one.

11 topics · 47 evidence-labelled claims · 14 sources

Tools

Colour name explorer

Where one name ends

Pairs and groups of names people confuse.

Is teal blue or green?Neither, strictly: teal names a dark blue-green that sits in the gap English leaves between the colours it calls green and the co…Is there a real difference between burgundy and maroon?Only a small one, and only in some sources.What is the difference between scarlet and crimson?Hue first, then depth: scarlet is the red that leans towards orange, crimson the red that leans towards blue, and crimson is usua…What colour is mauve, and how is it different from lavender?Mauve has two meanings in current use — a light purple, following the original dye, and a greyed pink close to dusty rose — while…Why do beige and taupe mean such different colours to different people?Because taupe has two meanings.Is cyan the same colour as turquoise?No, though they are close neighbours.Which is darker, navy or midnight blue?It depends on the source, which is the most useful thing to know about this pair.What is the difference between auburn and chestnut?Mostly vividness.Are magenta and fuchsia the same colour?On the web, exactly: CSS defines both as #ff00ff.

How colour names work

Basic terms, naming systems and language.

What are basic colour terms, and do all languages have the same ones?Basic colour terms are the small set of short, general colour words every speaker of a language knows and uses for anything — in…Where do colour names come from?Almost always from a thing: a dye or pigment, a plant, a mineral, a food, an animal, a place or an event.