Color Contrast Checker

About the Color Contrast Checker

We built this Color Contrast Checker because making websites easy for everyone to use is really important. This tool helps you check if your text and background colors are easy to read, especially for people with visual impairments. It just looks at the two colors, calculates their contrast ratio, and tells you right away if they pass the official Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). So, you can be sure your design is accessible.

How to Use the Tool

We made our tool to be as simple as possible. Here's how it works:

• First, you just need to enter your two colors. You can either type in a HEX or RGB code or just use the color picker to find the shade you want.
• The tool updates instantly as you change the colors. You can see how your choices look in the "Preview" panel, which shows normal, large, and bold text.
• Next, look at the "Results" panel. It shows you the exact contrast ratio and a simple PASS or FAIL grade for both WCAG AA and AAA levels.
• If you want to switch your colors around, just click the "Swap Colors" button.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is color contrast, and why should I care?

Color contrast is just the difference in brightness between your text color and its background color. It's a big deal because if there isn't enough contrast, it can be really hard for some people to read your content. We're talking about people with low vision or certain types of color blindness. Making sure your contrast is good is one of the easiest ways to make your website more accessible and user-friendly for everyone.

What do WCAG, AA, and AAA mean?

WCAG stands for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, which are the rules the whole world uses to make sure websites are accessible. They have a few levels, but the two you'll see most are:

• Level AA: This is the standard that most websites should aim for. It's a good balance of accessibility and design freedom. Our tool shows you need a ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text to pass.
• Level AAA: This is a much stricter standard, which is often required for websites for older audiences or government sites. It requires a higher ratio of at least 7:1 for normal text.

Why does large text have different rules?

That's a great question. WCAG considers text 'large' if it's 18pt (about 24px) or bigger, or 14pt (about 18.7px) and bold. Because it's bigger and thicker, it's naturally easier to read, so it doesn't need quite as much contrast to be legible. That's why you'll see it has a lower ratio requirement (3:1 for AA) to pass.

So, what's a good contrast ratio to aim for?

For most of your website's main content, like paragraphs and body text, you should definitely aim for a ratio of at least 4.5:1. This will make sure you pass the WCAG AA standard, which is the most common goal. For headings or other big text, a ratio of 3:1 is okay. But honestly, the higher the number, the better!

Is this tool safe to use with my company's brand colors?

Yes, it is completely safe. We built this tool to work entirely in your web browser. All the calculations are done right on your computer. Your color choices are never sent to our servers, so your designs and data stay private.