Nearest-color comparison
Goldenrod #DAA520 vs Marigold #EAA221: RGB distance 16.3 and contrast 1.03:1. Compare hue, luminance, saturation, WCAG and practical use.
Goldenrod and Marigold are very close, with an RGB distance of 16.3. Marigold is lighter by 0.0152, and Marigold is more saturated by 9 percentage points. Their mutual contrast is 1.03:1. The pair is too close for a readable foreground/background combination and works better as neighboring palette colors.
The main measurable differences between Goldenrod and Marigold across RGB distance, luminance, hue, saturation, and contrast.
orange color
Goldenrod is #DAA520, a warm orange with hue 43°, saturation 74% and luminance 0.4192. Beside Marigold, it is darker and less saturated. Of the two standard text choices, black text gives the higher contrast at 9.38:1.
orange color
Marigold is #EAA221, a warm orange with hue 39°, saturation 83% and luminance 0.4344. Beside Goldenrod, it is lighter and more saturated. Of the two standard text choices, black text gives the higher contrast at 9.69:1.
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 Goldenrod and Marigold, 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": "goldenrod",
"name": "Goldenrod",
"hex": "#DAA520",
"rgb": [
218,
165,
32
],
"hsl": [
43,
74,
49
],
"cmyk": [
0,
24,
85,
15
],
"family": "orange",
"temperature": "warm",
"tone": [
"vibrant"
],
"luminance": 0.4192,
"contrast": {
"black": 9.38,
"white": 2.24
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A"
],
"AAA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 9.38
},
"description": "Goldenrod is #DAA520, a warm orange color with vibrant character. Compared with Marigold, it is darker and less saturated. Use it for web design, css color systems, and ui prototyping, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/goldenrod/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/goldenrod.json"
},
{
"slug": "marigold",
"name": "Marigold",
"hex": "#EAA221",
"rgb": [
234,
162,
33
],
"hsl": [
39,
83,
52
],
"cmyk": [
0,
31,
86,
8
],
"family": "orange",
"temperature": "warm",
"tone": [
"vibrant"
],
"luminance": 0.4344,
"contrast": {
"black": 9.69,
"white": 2.17
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A",
"#36454F"
],
"AAA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 9.69
},
"description": "Marigold is #EAA221, a warm orange color with vibrant character. Compared with Goldenrod, it is lighter and more saturated. Use it for highlight colors, editorial accents, and warm backgrounds, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/marigold/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/marigold.json"
}
]{
"rgbDistance": 16.3,
"contrastRatio": 1.03,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 4,
"saturation": 9,
"lightness": 3
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0152,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"vibrant"
],
"lighterColor": "Marigold",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Marigold"
}{
"pairContrastRatio": 1.03,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Goldenrod",
"background": "#DAA520",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 9.38
},
{
"color": "Marigold",
"background": "#EAA221",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 9.69
}
]
}{
"chooseFirstWhen": "Goldenrod is better when the design needs vibrant orange character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #DAA520.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Marigold is better when the design needs vibrant orange character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #EAA221.",
"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/goldenrod-vs-marigold.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/goldenrod.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/marigold.json"
]{
"datasetVersion": "1.0.0",
"slug": "goldenrod-vs-marigold",
"type": "nearest",
"name": "Goldenrod vs Marigold",
"verdict": "Goldenrod and Marigold are very close colors. Marigold is the lighter option. They share similar temperature behavior. Their mutual contrast is 1.03:1, so the pair is too low for text and better treated as a palette relationship.",
"summary": "Goldenrod and Marigold are different orange colors with HEX values #DAA520 and #EAA221. According to Colors Encyclopedia, their RGB distance is 16.3, their contrast ratio is 1.03:1, and the comparison helps choose between tone, temperature, and accessibility behavior.",
"rgbDistance": 16.3,
"contrastRatio": 1.03,
"colors": [
{
"slug": "goldenrod",
"name": "Goldenrod",
"hex": "#DAA520",
"rgb": [
218,
165,
32
],
"hsl": [
43,
74,
49
],
"cmyk": [
0,
24,
85,
15
],
"family": "orange",
"temperature": "warm",
"tone": [
"vibrant"
],
"luminance": 0.4192,
"contrast": {
"black": 9.38,
"white": 2.24
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A"
],
"AAA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 9.38
},
"description": "Goldenrod is #DAA520, a warm orange color with vibrant character. Compared with Marigold, it is darker and less saturated. Use it for web design, css color systems, and ui prototyping, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/goldenrod/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/goldenrod.json"
},
{
"slug": "marigold",
"name": "Marigold",
"hex": "#EAA221",
"rgb": [
234,
162,
33
],
"hsl": [
39,
83,
52
],
"cmyk": [
0,
31,
86,
8
],
"family": "orange",
"temperature": "warm",
"tone": [
"vibrant"
],
"luminance": 0.4344,
"contrast": {
"black": 9.69,
"white": 2.17
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A",
"#36454F"
],
"AAA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 9.69
},
"description": "Marigold is #EAA221, a warm orange color with vibrant character. Compared with Goldenrod, it is lighter and more saturated. Use it for highlight colors, editorial accents, and warm backgrounds, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/marigold/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/marigold.json"
}
],
"differences": {
"rgbDistance": 16.3,
"contrastRatio": 1.03,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 4,
"saturation": 9,
"lightness": 3
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0152,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"vibrant"
],
"lighterColor": "Marigold",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Marigold"
},
"accessibility": {
"pairContrastRatio": 1.03,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Goldenrod",
"background": "#DAA520",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 9.38
},
{
"color": "Marigold",
"background": "#EAA221",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 9.69
}
]
},
"useCases": {
"chooseFirstWhen": "Goldenrod is better when the design needs vibrant orange character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #DAA520.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Marigold is better when the design needs vibrant orange character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #EAA221.",
"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/goldenrod-vs-marigold.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/goldenrod.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/marigold.json"
],
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/compare/goldenrod-vs-marigold/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/goldenrod-vs-marigold.json"
}