Nearest-color comparison
Cobalt Violet #8F00FF vs Dark Violet #9400D3: RGB distance 44.3 and contrast 1.13:1. Compare hue, luminance, saturation, WCAG and practical use.
Cobalt Violet and Dark Violet are related but distinguishable, with an RGB distance of 44.3. Cobalt Violet is lighter by 0.0206, and their saturation is equal. Their mutual contrast is 1.13:1. The pair is too close for a readable foreground/background combination and works better as neighboring palette colors.
The main measurable differences between Cobalt Violet and Dark Violet across RGB distance, luminance, hue, saturation, and contrast.
purple color
Cobalt Violet is #8F00FF, a cool purple with hue 274°, saturation 100% and luminance 0.1306. Beside Dark Violet, it is lighter and equally saturated. Of the two standard text choices, white text gives the higher contrast at 5.81:1.
purple color
Dark Violet is #9400D3, a cool purple with hue 282°, saturation 100% and luminance 0.11. Beside Cobalt Violet, it is darker and equally saturated. Of the two standard text choices, white text gives the higher contrast at 6.56:1.
Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.
Downloadable color comparison infographic
Save a high-resolution comparison infographic with both HEX colors, visual distance, mutual contrast, and accessibility guidance.
A compact visual strip showing the two compared colors with nearby harmony and variant context.
Machine-readable data
Structured comparison data for Cobalt Violet and Dark Violet, including color systems, RGB distance, HSL deltas, contrast, accessibility guidance, use cases, and API links.
Colors Encyclopedia
colorsBoth named color records with HEX, RGB, HSL, CMYK, luminance, WCAG, and linksdifferencesRGB distance, HSL deltas, luminance delta, contrast, and shared attributesaccessibilityPair contrast and safer text choices for each coloruseCasesWhen to choose each color and when to use them togetherrelatedApiMachine-readable comparison and color endpoints[
{
"slug": "cobalt-violet",
"name": "Cobalt Violet",
"hex": "#8F00FF",
"rgb": [
143,
0,
255
],
"hsl": [
274,
100,
50
],
"cmyk": [
44,
100,
0,
0
],
"family": "purple",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"vibrant"
],
"luminance": 0.1306,
"contrast": {
"black": 3.61,
"white": 5.81
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": []
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 5.81
},
"description": "Cobalt Violet is #8F00FF, a cool purple color with vibrant character. Compared with Dark Violet, it is lighter and similar in saturation. Use it for historical references, pigment palettes, and cultural color systems, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/cobalt-violet/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/cobalt-violet.json"
},
{
"slug": "dark-violet",
"name": "Dark Violet",
"hex": "#9400D3",
"rgb": [
148,
0,
211
],
"hsl": [
282,
100,
41
],
"cmyk": [
30,
100,
0,
17
],
"family": "purple",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"vibrant",
"jewel-tone"
],
"luminance": 0.11,
"contrast": {
"black": 3.2,
"white": 6.56
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": []
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 6.56
},
"description": "Dark Violet is #9400D3, a cool purple color with vibrant and jewel tone character. Compared with Cobalt Violet, it is darker and similar in saturation. Use it for web design, css color systems, and ui prototyping, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/dark-violet/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/dark-violet.json"
}
]{
"rgbDistance": 44.3,
"contrastRatio": 1.13,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 8,
"saturation": 0,
"lightness": 9
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0206,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"vibrant"
],
"lighterColor": "Cobalt Violet",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Cobalt Violet"
}{
"pairContrastRatio": 1.13,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Cobalt Violet",
"background": "#8F00FF",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 5.81
},
{
"color": "Dark Violet",
"background": "#9400D3",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 6.56
}
]
}{
"chooseFirstWhen": "Cobalt Violet is better when the design needs vibrant purple character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #8F00FF.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Dark Violet is better when the design needs vibrant and jewel tone purple character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #9400D3.",
"useTogetherWhen": "Use these colors together as related palette neighbors, subtle material differences, or tonal alternatives rather than readable foreground/background pairs."
}[
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/cobalt-violet-vs-dark-violet.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/cobalt-violet.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/dark-violet.json"
]{
"datasetVersion": "1.0.0",
"slug": "cobalt-violet-vs-dark-violet",
"type": "nearest",
"name": "Cobalt Violet vs Dark Violet",
"verdict": "Cobalt Violet and Dark Violet are visually related colors. Cobalt Violet is the lighter option. They share similar temperature behavior. Their mutual contrast is 1.13:1, so the pair is too low for text and better treated as a palette relationship.",
"summary": "Cobalt Violet and Dark Violet are different purple colors with HEX values #8F00FF and #9400D3. According to Colors Encyclopedia, their RGB distance is 44.3, their contrast ratio is 1.13:1, and the comparison helps choose between tone, temperature, and accessibility behavior.",
"rgbDistance": 44.3,
"contrastRatio": 1.13,
"colors": [
{
"slug": "cobalt-violet",
"name": "Cobalt Violet",
"hex": "#8F00FF",
"rgb": [
143,
0,
255
],
"hsl": [
274,
100,
50
],
"cmyk": [
44,
100,
0,
0
],
"family": "purple",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"vibrant"
],
"luminance": 0.1306,
"contrast": {
"black": 3.61,
"white": 5.81
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": []
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 5.81
},
"description": "Cobalt Violet is #8F00FF, a cool purple color with vibrant character. Compared with Dark Violet, it is lighter and similar in saturation. Use it for historical references, pigment palettes, and cultural color systems, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/cobalt-violet/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/cobalt-violet.json"
},
{
"slug": "dark-violet",
"name": "Dark Violet",
"hex": "#9400D3",
"rgb": [
148,
0,
211
],
"hsl": [
282,
100,
41
],
"cmyk": [
30,
100,
0,
17
],
"family": "purple",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"vibrant",
"jewel-tone"
],
"luminance": 0.11,
"contrast": {
"black": 3.2,
"white": 6.56
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": []
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 6.56
},
"description": "Dark Violet is #9400D3, a cool purple color with vibrant and jewel tone character. Compared with Cobalt Violet, it is darker and similar in saturation. Use it for web design, css color systems, and ui prototyping, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/dark-violet/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/dark-violet.json"
}
],
"differences": {
"rgbDistance": 44.3,
"contrastRatio": 1.13,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 8,
"saturation": 0,
"lightness": 9
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0206,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"vibrant"
],
"lighterColor": "Cobalt Violet",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Cobalt Violet"
},
"accessibility": {
"pairContrastRatio": 1.13,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Cobalt Violet",
"background": "#8F00FF",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 5.81
},
{
"color": "Dark Violet",
"background": "#9400D3",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 6.56
}
]
},
"useCases": {
"chooseFirstWhen": "Cobalt Violet is better when the design needs vibrant purple character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #8F00FF.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Dark Violet is better when the design needs vibrant and jewel tone purple character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #9400D3.",
"useTogetherWhen": "Use these colors together as related palette neighbors, subtle material differences, or tonal alternatives rather than readable foreground/background pairs."
},
"relatedApi": [
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/cobalt-violet-vs-dark-violet.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/cobalt-violet.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/dark-violet.json"
],
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/compare/cobalt-violet-vs-dark-violet/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/cobalt-violet-vs-dark-violet.json"
}