57
Total shades
in database
34
Pass AA on white
60% of shades
23
Pass AAA on white
40% of shades
25
Pass AA on black
44% of shades
WCAG AA Score
Shades passing 4.5:1 on white
34 of 57 Purple shades achieve at least 4.5:1 contrast on white — the WCAG AA threshold for normal body text.
WCAG AAA Score
Shades passing 7:1 on white
23 of 57 Purple shades exceed 7:1 — the WCAG AAA threshold required for enhanced accessibility.
Recommended Text Colors
When using a Purple shade as a background, use these text colors for WCAG AA compliance.
White text works on:
Dark text works on:
Recommended Backgrounds
When using a Purple shade as text color, these backgrounds provide WCAG AA compliance.
Works on white / light:
Automated Accessibility Validation — All Purple Shades
| Color | Hex | On White | On Black | Best Use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pale Purple | #FAE6FA | WCAG Fail1.2:1 | WCAG AAA17.8:1 | Text on black |
| Lavender | #E6E6FA | WCAG Fail1.2:1 | WCAG AAA17.1:1 | Text on black |
| Thistle | #D8BFD8 | WCAG Fail1.7:1 | WCAG AAA12.4:1 | Text on black |
| Mauve | #E0B0FF | WCAG Fail1.8:1 | WCAG AAA11.8:1 | Text on black |
| Plum | #DDA0DD | WCAG Fail2.1:1 | WCAG AAA10.2:1 | Text on black |
| Light Purple | #D896FF | WCAG Fail2.2:1 | WCAG AAA9.7:1 | Text on black |
| Wisteria | #C9A0DC | WCAG Fail2.2:1 | WCAG AAA9.6:1 | Text on black |
| Lilac | #C8A2C8 | WCAG Fail2.2:1 | WCAG AAA9.5:1 | Text on black |
| Violet | #EE82EE | WCAG Fail2.3:1 | WCAG AAA9.1:1 | Text on black |
| Heliotrope | #DF73FF | WCAG Fail2.6:1 | WCAG AAA8.0:1 | Text on black |
| Glossy Grape | #AB92B3 | WCAG Fail2.8:1 | WCAG AAA7.5:1 | Text on black |
| Orchid | #DA70D6 | WCAG Fail2.9:1 | WCAG AAA7.3:1 | Text on black |
| Floral Lavender | #B57EDC | WCAG AA Large3.0:1 | WCAG AA7.0:1 | Text on black |
| African Violet | #B284BE | WCAG AA Large3.0:1 | WCAG AA6.9:1 | Text on black |
| Opera Mauve | #B784A7 | WCAG AA Large3.1:1 | WCAG AA6.9:1 | Text on black |
| Hyacinth | #9683EC | WCAG AA Large3.1:1 | WCAG AA6.8:1 | Text on black |
| Tropical Indigo | #9B83B2 | WCAG AA Large3.3:1 | WCAG AA6.3:1 | Text on black |
| Purple Mountain Majesty | #9678B6 | WCAG AA Large3.7:1 | WCAG AA5.7:1 | Text on black |
| Medium Purple | #9370DB | WCAG AA Large3.8:1 | WCAG AA5.6:1 | Text on black |
| Ube | #8878C3 | WCAG AA Large3.8:1 | WCAG AA5.5:1 | Text on black |
| Medium Orchid | #BA55D3 | WCAG AA Large3.9:1 | WCAG AA5.3:1 | Text on black |
| Amethyst | #9966CC | WCAG AA Large4.1:1 | WCAG AA5.1:1 | Text on black |
| Mulberry | #C54B8C | WCAG AA Large4.4:1 | WCAG AA4.8:1 | Text on black |
| Electric Purple | #BF00FF | WCAG AA4.5:1 | WCAG AA4.7:1 | Text on white |
| Neon Purple | #B026FF | WCAG AA4.6:1 | WCAG AA4.6:1 | Text on white |
| Purpureus | #9A4EAE | WCAG AA5.2:1 | WCAG AA Large4.1:1 | Text on white |
| Old Lavender | #796878 | WCAG AA5.2:1 | WCAG AA Large4.1:1 | Text on white |
| Veronica Purple | #A020F0 | WCAG AA5.3:1 | WCAG AA Large4.0:1 | Text on white |
| Medium Violet Red | #C71585 | WCAG AA5.4:1 | WCAG AA Large3.9:1 | Text on white |
| Royal Purple | #7851A9 | WCAG AA5.9:1 | WCAG AA Large3.5:1 | Text on white |
| Blue Violet | #8A2BE2 | WCAG AA6.0:1 | WCAG AA Large3.5:1 | Text on white |
| Liberty Purple | #545AA7 | WCAG AA6.2:1 | WCAG AA Large3.4:1 | Text on white |
| Plum Fruit | #8E4585 | WCAG AA6.3:1 | WCAG AA Large3.3:1 | Text on white |
| Dark Violet | #9400D3 | WCAG AA6.6:1 | WCAG AA Large3.2:1 | Text on white |
| French Violet | #8806CE | WCAG AAA7.1:1 | WCAG Fail3.0:1 | Text on white |
| Han Purple | #5218FA | WCAG AAA7.3:1 | WCAG Fail2.9:1 | Text on white |
| Deep Purple | #673AB7 | WCAG AAA7.3:1 | WCAG Fail2.9:1 | Text on white |
| Tanzanite | #4D4F8C | WCAG AAA7.5:1 | WCAG Fail2.8:1 | Text on white |
| Grape | #6F2DA8 | WCAG AAA8.0:1 | WCAG Fail2.6:1 | Text on white |
| Maximum Purple | #733380 | WCAG AAA8.3:1 | WCAG Fail2.5:1 | Text on white |
| Rebecca Purple | #663399 | WCAG AAA8.4:1 | WCAG Fail2.5:1 | Text on white |
| Fig Purple | #7B3558 | WCAG AAA8.4:1 | WCAG Fail2.5:1 | Text on white |
| Cyber Grape | #58427C | WCAG AAA8.4:1 | WCAG Fail2.5:1 | Text on white |
| Dark Magenta | #8B008B | WCAG AAA8.5:1 | WCAG Fail2.5:1 | Text on white |
| Mardi Gras | #880085 | WCAG AAA8.8:1 | WCAG Fail2.4:1 | Text on white |
| Eggplant | #614051 | WCAG AAA8.9:1 | WCAG Fail2.4:1 | Text on white |
| Purple | #800080 | WCAG AAA9.4:1 | WCAG Fail2.2:1 | Text on white |
| English Violet | #563C5C | WCAG AAA9.6:1 | WCAG Fail2.2:1 | Text on white |
| Byzantium | #702963 | WCAG AAA9.6:1 | WCAG Fail2.2:1 | Text on white |
| Palatinate Purple | #682860 | WCAG AAA10.2:1 | WCAG Fail2.1:1 | Text on white |
| Regalia | #522D80 | WCAG AAA10.3:1 | WCAG Fail2.0:1 | Text on white |
| Pansy Purple | #78184A | WCAG AAA10.3:1 | WCAG Fail2.0:1 | Text on white |
| Imperial Purple | #66023C | WCAG AAA12.8:1 | WCAG Fail1.6:1 | Text on white |
| Indigo | #4B0082 | WCAG AAA12.9:1 | WCAG Fail1.6:1 | Text on white |
| Midnight Purple | #4B0150 | WCAG AAA14.8:1 | WCAG Fail1.4:1 | Text on white |
| Blackberry | #4D0135 | WCAG AAA15.3:1 | WCAG Fail1.4:1 | Text on white |
| Dark Purple | #301934 | WCAG AAA16.0:1 | WCAG Fail1.3:1 | Text on white |
Accessibility Notes
- 1
Dark purples (700–900) pass WCAG AAA on white — #4C1D95 achieves ~14:1 contrast.
- 2
Mid purples (500–600) pass WCAG AA on white and are safe for primary buttons and interactive states.
- 3
Light purples (50–300) fail AA on white for small text; use them as backgrounds or decorative gradients.
- 4
Purple and red can be confused by people with protanopia — ensure sufficient luminance difference rather than relying on hue alone.
- 5
In dark mode, mid-range purples (#A78BFA, #818CF8) achieve excellent contrast on dark backgrounds.
Design Examples
TEXT ON WHITE BACKGROUND
Purple
This body text uses Electric Purple — contrast 4.51:1
Example link in Electric PurpleBUTTON COMPONENT
Electric Purple — #BF00FF
CARD WITH PURPLE BACKGROUND
Card heading
A card component using Pale Purple as the background. Dark text ensures readability.
DARK BACKGROUND CARD
Card heading
Neon Purple background with white text — 4.6:1 contrast.
Design Tips
- ✓
Use #4C1D95 or #5B21B6 for heading text on white — both pass AAA.
- ✓
#7C3AED as a primary button on white passes AA (5.5:1) — a popular choice for modern design systems.
- ✓
Light purple (#F5F3FF) background with dark purple text (#3730A3) is an accessible, on-brand combination for tech products.