Nearest-color comparison

Gray vs Grey

Gray and Grey are different gray colors with HEX values #808080 and #808080. According to Colors Encyclopedia, their RGB distance is 0, their contrast ratio is 1:1, and the comparison helps choose between tone, temperature, and accessibility behavior.

Gray and Grey are very close colors. They have nearly identical luminance. They share similar temperature behavior. Their mutual contrast is 1:1, so the pair is too low for text and better treated as a palette relationship.

Differences Use cases Accessibility JSON

Gray#808080

Grey#808080

Quick Difference Summary

The main measurable differences between Gray and Grey across RGB distance, luminance, hue, saturation, and contrast.

RGB distance0

Pair contrast1:1

Luminance delta0

Hue delta0 deg

Lighter colorGray

More saturatedGray

Side-by-Side Color Profiles

gray color

Gray

Gray is #808080, a neutral gray color with muted character. Compared with Grey, it is similar in luminance and similar in saturation. Use it for web design, css color systems, and ui prototyping, with black text as the safer foreground option.

HEX#808080 RGB128, 128, 128 HSL0, 0, 50 CMYK0, 0, 0, 50 Luminance0.2159 Best textblack text

Color page WCAG HEX atlas

gray color

Grey

Grey is #808080, a neutral gray color with muted character. Compared with Gray, it is similar in luminance and similar in saturation. Use it for web design, css color systems, and ui prototyping, with black text as the safer foreground option.

HEX#808080 RGB128, 128, 128 HSL0, 0, 50 CMYK0, 0, 0, 50 Luminance0.2159 Best textblack text

Color page WCAG HEX atlas

When to Use Gray or Grey

Choose GrayGray is better when the design needs muted gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #808080.

Choose GreyGrey is better when the design needs muted gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #808080.

Use togetherUse these colors together as related palette neighbors, subtle material differences, or tonal alternatives rather than readable foreground/background pairs.

Technical Comparison Table

PropertyGrayGrey

HEX#808080#808080

RGB128, 128, 128128, 128, 128

HSL0, 0, 500, 0, 50

CMYK0, 0, 0, 500, 0, 0, 50

FamilyGrayGray

TemperatureNeutralNeutral

ToneMutedMuted

Luminance0.21590.2159

Black contrast5.32:15.32:1

White contrast3.95:13.95:1

Shared tonesMuted

Accessibility and Contrast

Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.

Grayblack text - 5.32:1

Greyblack text - 5.32:1

Related Palette Strip

A compact visual strip showing the two compared colors with nearby harmony and variant context.

Grey#808080

#ADADAD#ADADAD

Grey#808080

colorsBoth named color records with HEX, RGB, HSL, CMYK, luminance, WCAG, and links

differencesRGB distance, HSL deltas, luminance delta, contrast, and shared attributes

accessibilityPair contrast and safer text choices for each color

useCasesWhen to choose each color and when to use them together

relatedApiMachine-readable comparison and color endpoints

Structured sections

Colors

[
  {
    "slug": "gray",
    "name": "Gray",
    "hex": "#808080",
    "rgb": [
      128,
      128,
      128
    ],
    "hsl": [
      0,
      0,
      50
    ],
    "cmyk": [
      0,
      0,
      0,
      50
    ],
    "family": "gray",
    "temperature": "neutral",
    "tone": [
      "muted"
    ],
    "luminance": 0.2159,
    "contrast": {
      "black": 5.32,
      "white": 3.95
    },
    "wcag": {
      "AA": [
        "#000000"
      ],
      "AAA": []
    },
    "bestText": {
      "text": "#000000",
      "label": "black text",
      "ratio": 5.32
    },
    "description": "Gray is #808080, a neutral gray color with muted character. Compared with Grey, it is similar in luminance and similar in saturation. 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/gray/",
    "apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/gray.json"
  },
  {
    "slug": "grey",
    "name": "Grey",
    "hex": "#808080",
    "rgb": [
      128,
      128,
      128
    ],
    "hsl": [
      0,
      0,
      50
    ],
    "cmyk": [
      0,
      0,
      0,
      50
    ],
    "family": "gray",
    "temperature": "neutral",
    "tone": [
      "muted"
    ],
    "luminance": 0.2159,
    "contrast": {
      "black": 5.32,
      "white": 3.95
    },
    "wcag": {
      "AA": [
        "#000000"
      ],
      "AAA": []
    },
    "bestText": {
      "text": "#000000",
      "label": "black text",
      "ratio": 5.32
    },
    "description": "Grey is #808080, a neutral gray color with muted character. Compared with Gray, it is similar in luminance and similar in saturation. 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/grey/",
    "apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/grey.json"
  }
]

Differences

{
  "rgbDistance": 0,
  "contrastRatio": 1,
  "hslDelta": {
    "hue": 0,
    "saturation": 0,
    "lightness": 0
  },
  "luminanceDelta": 0,
  "sameFamily": true,
  "sameTemperature": true,
  "sharedTones": [
    "muted"
  ],
  "lighterColor": "Gray",
  "moreSaturatedColor": "Gray"
}

Accessibility

{
  "pairContrastRatio": 1,
  "textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
  "safeText": [
    {
      "color": "Gray",
      "background": "#808080",
      "foreground": "#000000",
      "label": "black text",
      "ratio": 5.32
    },
    {
      "color": "Grey",
      "background": "#808080",
      "foreground": "#000000",
      "label": "black text",
      "ratio": 5.32
    }
  ]
}

Use cases

{
  "chooseFirstWhen": "Gray is better when the design needs muted gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #808080.",
  "chooseSecondWhen": "Grey is better when the design needs muted gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #808080.",
  "useTogetherWhen": "Use these colors together as related palette neighbors, subtle material differences, or tonal alternatives rather than readable foreground/background pairs."
}

Related API

[
  "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/gray-vs-grey.json",
  "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/gray.json",
  "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/grey.json"
]

Full JSON dataset

{
  "datasetVersion": "1.0.0",
  "slug": "gray-vs-grey",
  "type": "nearest",
  "name": "Gray vs Grey",
  "verdict": "Gray and Grey are very close colors. They have nearly identical luminance. They share similar temperature behavior. Their mutual contrast is 1:1, so the pair is too low for text and better treated as a palette relationship.",
  "summary": "Gray and Grey are different gray colors with HEX values #808080 and #808080. According to Colors Encyclopedia, their RGB distance is 0, their contrast ratio is 1:1, and the comparison helps choose between tone, temperature, and accessibility behavior.",
  "rgbDistance": 0,
  "contrastRatio": 1,
  "colors": [
    {
      "slug": "gray",
      "name": "Gray",
      "hex": "#808080",
      "rgb": [
        128,
        128,
        128
      ],
      "hsl": [
        0,
        0,
        50
      ],
      "cmyk": [
        0,
        0,
        0,
        50
      ],
      "family": "gray",
      "temperature": "neutral",
      "tone": [
        "muted"
      ],
      "luminance": 0.2159,
      "contrast": {
        "black": 5.32,
        "white": 3.95
      },
      "wcag": {
        "AA": [
          "#000000"
        ],
        "AAA": []
      },
      "bestText": {
        "text": "#000000",
        "label": "black text",
        "ratio": 5.32
      },
      "description": "Gray is #808080, a neutral gray color with muted character. Compared with Grey, it is similar in luminance and similar in saturation. 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/gray/",
      "apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/gray.json"
    },
    {
      "slug": "grey",
      "name": "Grey",
      "hex": "#808080",
      "rgb": [
        128,
        128,
        128
      ],
      "hsl": [
        0,
        0,
        50
      ],
      "cmyk": [
        0,
        0,
        0,
        50
      ],
      "family": "gray",
      "temperature": "neutral",
      "tone": [
        "muted"
      ],
      "luminance": 0.2159,
      "contrast": {
        "black": 5.32,
        "white": 3.95
      },
      "wcag": {
        "AA": [
          "#000000"
        ],
        "AAA": []
      },
      "bestText": {
        "text": "#000000",
        "label": "black text",
        "ratio": 5.32
      },
      "description": "Grey is #808080, a neutral gray color with muted character. Compared with Gray, it is similar in luminance and similar in saturation. 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/grey/",
      "apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/grey.json"
    }
  ],
  "differences": {
    "rgbDistance": 0,
    "contrastRatio": 1,
    "hslDelta": {
      "hue": 0,
      "saturation": 0,
      "lightness": 0
    },
    "luminanceDelta": 0,
    "sameFamily": true,
    "sameTemperature": true,
    "sharedTones": [
      "muted"
    ],
    "lighterColor": "Gray",
    "moreSaturatedColor": "Gray"
  },
  "accessibility": {
    "pairContrastRatio": 1,
    "textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
    "safeText": [
      {
        "color": "Gray",
        "background": "#808080",
        "foreground": "#000000",
        "label": "black text",
        "ratio": 5.32
      },
      {
        "color": "Grey",
        "background": "#808080",
        "foreground": "#000000",
        "label": "black text",
        "ratio": 5.32
      }
    ]
  },
  "useCases": {
    "chooseFirstWhen": "Gray is better when the design needs muted gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #808080.",
    "chooseSecondWhen": "Grey is better when the design needs muted gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #808080.",
    "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/gray-vs-grey.json",
    "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/gray.json",
    "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/grey.json"
  ],
  "url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/compare/gray-vs-grey/",
  "apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/gray-vs-grey.json"
}