Nearest-color comparison
Gray #808080 vs Grey #808080: RGB distance 0 and contrast 1:1. Compare hue, luminance, saturation, WCAG and practical use.
Gray and Grey are very close, with an RGB distance of 0. Their luminance is equal, and their saturation is equal. Their mutual contrast is 1:1. The pair is too close for a readable foreground/background combination and works better as neighboring palette colors.
The main measurable differences between Gray and Grey across RGB distance, luminance, hue, saturation, and contrast.
gray color
Gray is #808080, a neutral gray with hue 0°, saturation 0% and luminance 0.2159. Beside Grey, it is equal in luminance and equally saturated. Of the two standard text choices, black text gives the higher contrast at 5.32:1.
gray color
Grey is #808080, a neutral gray with hue 0°, saturation 0% and luminance 0.2159. Beside Gray, it is equal in luminance and equally saturated. Of the two standard text choices, black text gives the higher contrast at 5.32:1.
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 Gray and Grey, 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": "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"
}
]{
"rgbDistance": 0,
"contrastRatio": 1,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 0,
"saturation": 0,
"lightness": 0
},
"luminanceDelta": 0,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"muted"
],
"lighterColor": "Gray",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Gray"
}{
"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
}
]
}{
"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."
}[
"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"
]{
"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"
}