Color vs. Colour: Know the Difference
By Shumaila Saeed || Updated on December 25, 2023
"Color" and "Colour" mean the same, referring to the property of objects as seen by the human eye. "Color" is the American spelling, while "Colour" is used in British English.
Key Differences
"Color" is the American English spelling, while "Colour" is the British English spelling. Both words describe the visual perception of light reflected from objects.
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In American publications and correspondence, "Color" is predominantly used, whereas "Colour" is the preferred form in British contexts, including the UK, Canada, and Australia.
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Both "Color" and "Colour" originate from the Latin word "color," but "Colour" reflects historical phonetic and spelling changes in British English.
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Dictionaries often list "Color" and "Colour" separately, noting the regional usage preferences for each spelling.
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In cultural contexts, "Color" aligns with American English norms, while "Colour" is associated with British and Commonwealth English traditions.
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Comparison Chart
Usage Region
Preferred in the USA
Preferred in the UK and Commonwealth countries
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Dictionary Representation
Listed as American English standard
Listed as British English standard
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Linguistic Origin
Derived from Latin "color"
Evolved from Middle English "colour"
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Cultural Influence
Influences American language and culture
Influences British and Commonwealth language and culture
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Color and Colour Definitions
Color
In broader terms, color refers to a characteristic that distinguishes.
The scandal added color to his otherwise bland public image.
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Colour
Colour refers to the property possessed by an object of producing different sensations on the eye as a result of the way it reflects or emits light.
The flowers were of an unusual colour.
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Color
Color implies vividness or variety in expression or detail.
Her stories always had a lot of color in them.
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Colour
Colour is used to describe a particular pigment, especially in art.
She mixed the colours carefully for her painting.
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Color
The appearance of objects or light sources described in terms of the individual's perception of them, involving hue, lightness, and saturation for objects, and hue, brightness, and saturation for light sources.
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Colour
Colour can also indicate race or ethnicity in certain contexts.
The policy was criticized for being blind to colour.
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Color
The characteristics of light by which the individual is made aware of objects or light sources through the receptors of the eye, described in terms of dominant wavelength, luminance, and purity.
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Colour
Colour is sometimes used to mean a characteristic that adds interest.
The local characters gave colour to the small town.
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Color
A gradation or variation of this aspect, especially when other than black, white, or gray; a hue:fireworks that exploded in brilliant colors.
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Colour
Colour is used figuratively to suggest vividness or variety.
His account of the trip was full of colour.
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Color
The different colors used in visual representation:one of the earliest movies in color.
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Color
The general appearance of the skin, especially as an indication of good health
Regained her color after a few days' rest.
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Color
Skin pigmentation considered as a racial characteristic or a marker of racial identity, especially when other than white:"My father told me if I go west, there's integration; you don't worry about color"(Itabari Njeri). See Usage Note at person of color.
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Colour
Any material used for its color;
She used a different color for the trim
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Color
A colored item, such as a badge, ribbon, or piece of clothing, serving as an identifying mark:wore the colors of their college.
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Colour
A race with skin pigmentation different from the white race (especially Blacks)
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Color
A flag or banner, as of a country or military unit:a ship flying the colors of Brazil.
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Colour
(physics) the characteristic of quarks that determines their role in the strong interaction; each flavor of quarks comes in three colors
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Colour
Interest and variety and intensity;
The Puritan Period was lacking in color
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Colour
The timbre of a musical sound;
The recording fails to capture the true color of the original music
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Colour
A visual attribute of things that results from the light they emit or transmit or reflect;
A white color is made up of many different wavelengths of light
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Color
An outward and often deceptive appearance:a tale with the merest color of truth.
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Colour
An outward or token appearance or form that is deliberately misleading;
He hoped his claims would have a semblance of authenticity
He tried to give his falsehood the gloss of moral sanction
The situation soon took on a different color
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Color
Appearance of authenticity:testimony that lends color to an otherwise absurd notion.
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Colour
The appearance of objects (or light sources) described in terms of a person's perception of their hue and lightness (or brightness) and saturation
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Color
Commentary distinguished by vivid details or background information, as during a sports broadcast:A former coach provided the color for the championship game.
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Colour
Affect as in thought or feeling;
My personal feelings color my judgment in this case
The sadness tinged his life
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Colour
Add color to;
The child colored the drawings
Fall colored the trees
Colorize black and white film
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Colour
Having or capable of producing colors;
Color film
He rented a color television
Marvelous color illustrations
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Color
To give a distinctive character or quality to; modify:"Both books are colored by the author's childhood experiences"(Deborah M. Locke).
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Color
To misrepresent, especially by distortion or exaggeration:color the facts.
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Color
(uncountable) The spectral composition of visible light.
Humans and birds can perceive color.
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Color
(countable) A particular set of visible spectral compositions, perceived or named as a class.
Most languages have names for the colors black, white, red, and green.
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Color
(uncountable) Hue as opposed to achromatic colors (black, white and grays).
He referred to the white flag as one "drained of all color".
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Color
These hues as used in color television or films, color photographs, etc (as opposed to the shades of grey used in black-and-white television).
This film is broadcast in color.
Most people dream in color, but some dream in black and white.
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Color
(heraldry) Any of the standard dark tinctures used in a coat of arms, including azure, gules, sable, and vert.
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Color
A paint.
The artist took out her colors and began work on a landscape.
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Color
(uncountable) Human skin tone, especially as an indicator of race or ethnicity.
Color has been a sensitive issue in many societies.
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Color
(medicine) Skin color, noted as normal, jaundiced, cyanotic, flush, mottled, pale, or ashen as part of the skin signs assessment.
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Color
(figuratively) Richness of expression; detail or flavour that is likely to generate interest or enjoyment.
There is a great deal of colour in his writing.
A bit of local color
Could you give me some color with regards to which products made up the mix of revenue for this quarter?
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Color
(in the plural) A standard or banner.
The loss of their colors destroyed the regiment's morale.
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Color
(in the plural) The flag of a nation or team.
The colors were raised over the new territory.
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Color
(in the plural) Gang insignia.
Both of the perpetrators were wearing colors.
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Color
(in the plural) An award for sporting achievement, particularly within a school or university.
He was awarded colors for his football.
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Color
(physics) A property of quarks, with three values called red, green, and blue, which they can exchange by passing gluons; color charge.
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Color
A third-order measure of derivative price sensitivity, expressed as the rate of change of gamma with respect to time, or equivalently the rate of change of charm with respect to changes in the underlying asset price.
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Color
(typography) The relative lightness or darkness of a mass of written or printed text on a page. (See type color)
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Color
An appearance of right or authority; color of law.
Under color of law, he managed to bilk taxpayers of millions of dollars.
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Color
Conveying color, as opposed to shades of gray.
Color television and movies were considered a great improvement over black and white.
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Color
(transitive) To cause (a pipe, especially a meerschaum) to take on a brown or black color, by smoking.
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Color
(intransitive) To apply colors to the areas within the boundaries of a line drawing using colored markers or crayons.
My kindergartener loves to color.
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Color
(of a person or their face) To become red through increased blood flow.
Her face colored as she realized her mistake.
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Color
To affect without completely changing.
That interpretation certainly colors my perception of the book.
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Color
(informal) To attribute a quality to; to portray (as).
Color me confused.
They tried to colour the industrial unrest as a merely local matter.
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Color
To assign colors to the vertices of a graph (or the regions of a map) so that no two vertices connected by an edge (regions sharing a border) have the same color.
Can this graph be 2-colored?
You can color any map with four colors.
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Color
A property depending on the relations of light to the eye, by which individual and specific differences in the hues and tints of objects are apprehended in vision; as, gay colors; sad colors, etc.
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Color
The hue or color characteristic of good health and spirits; ruddy complexion.
Give color to my pale cheek.
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Color
That which is used to give color; a paint; a pigment; as, oil colors or water colors.
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Color
That which covers or hides the real character of anything; semblance; excuse; disguise; appearance.
They had let down the boat into the sea, under color as though they would have cast anchors out of the foreship.
That he should die is worthy policy;But yet we want a color for his death.
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Color
Shade or variety of character; kind; species.
Boys and women are for the most part cattle of this color.
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Color
A distinguishing badge, as a flag or similar symbol (usually in the plural); as, the colors or color of a ship or regiment; the colors of a race horse (that is, of the cap and jacket worn by the jockey).
In the United States each regiment of infantry and artillery has two colors, one national and one regimental.
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Color
An apparent right; as where the defendant in trespass gave to the plaintiff an appearance of title, by stating his title specially, thus removing the cause from the jury to the court.
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Color
To change or alter the hue or tint of, by dyeing, staining, painting, etc.; to dye; to tinge; to paint; to stain.
The rays, to speak properly, are not colored; in them there is nothing else than a certain power and disposition to stir up a sensation of this or that color.
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Color
To change or alter, as if by dyeing or painting; to give a false appearance to; usually, to give a specious appearance to; to cause to appear attractive; to make plausible; to palliate or excuse; as, the facts were colored by his prejudices.
He colors the falsehood of Æneas by an express command from Jupiter to forsake the queen.
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Color
To hide.
That by his fellowship he color mightBoth his estate and love from skill of any wight.
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Color
A visual attribute of things that results from the light they emit or transmit or reflect;
A white color is made up of many different wavelengths of light
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Color
Interest and variety and intensity;
The Puritan Period was lacking in color
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Oct 19, 2023
Color
The timbre of a musical sound;
The recording fails to capture the true color of the original music
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Oct 19, 2023
Color
A race with skin pigmentation different from the white race (especially Blacks)
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Oct 19, 2023
Color
An outward or token appearance or form that is deliberately misleading;
He hoped his claims would have a semblance of authenticity
He tried to give his falsehood the gloss of moral sanction
The situation soon took on a different color
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Oct 19, 2023
Color
Any material used for its color;
She used a different color for the trim
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Oct 19, 2023
Color
(physics) the characteristic of quarks that determines their role in the strong interaction; each flavor of quarks comes in three colors
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Color
The appearance of objects (or light sources) described in terms of a person's perception of their hue and lightness (or brightness) and saturation
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Oct 19, 2023
Color
Add color to;
The child colored the drawings
Fall colored the trees
Colorize black and white film
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Color
Affect as in thought or feeling;
My personal feelings color my judgment in this case
The sadness tinged his life
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Color
Having or capable of producing colors;
Color film
He rented a color television
Marvelous color illustrations
Black-and-white film
A black-and-white TV
The movie was in black and white
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Color
Color is the aspect of things caused by differing qualities of light reflected or emitted.
The color of the sky at sunset was breathtaking.
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Color
Color refers to pigment or dye in art and design.
He chose a vibrant color for the painting.
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Color
Color can denote racial or ethnic identity.
The event celebrated the diverse color of the community.
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Repeatedly Asked Queries
Is "Color" used in British English?
Typically, "Colour" is used in British English, while "Color" is American.
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Is "Colour" acceptable in American English?
"Colour" is understood in American English but "Color" is the standard spelling.
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Can "Color" and "Colour" be used interchangeably?
They can be used interchangeably, though it depends on regional spelling norms.
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How did "Color" come to be the American spelling?
American English often adopted simplified spellings, hence "Color" over "Colour."
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What is the historical origin of "Colour"?
"Colour" comes from Middle English, influenced by Old French and Latin.
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Do "Color" and "Colour" have the same pronunciation?
Yes, both words are pronounced the same way.
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What does "Color" mean?
"Color" refers to the property that objects display as a result of the light they reflect, transmit, or emit.
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What does "Colour" mean?
"Colour" is the British English equivalent of "Color," with the same definition.
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"Color" and "Colour"?
The spelling differences reflect American and British English conventions.
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In digital media, which spelling is preferred?
"Color" is more common in American-made digital media, while "Colour" is used in British contexts.
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Does the meaning change with spelling?
No, the meaning of "Color" and "Colour" is exactly the same.
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Are there idioms that use "Color" or "Colour"?
Yes, there are idioms, and they may use either spelling based on regional usage.
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Can the spellings affect search engine results?
Yes, search results may vary slightly depending on whether "Color" or "Colour" is used.
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How do dictionaries handle "Color" and "Colour"?
Dictionaries typically list them as regional variations of the same word.
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In scientific contexts, which spelling is used?
"Color" is commonly used in American scientific literature, while "Colour" is used in British.
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In coding and web design, which spelling is more prevalent?
In coding, especially in American-developed languages, "Color" is more prevalent.
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In international publications, which spelling is preferred?
International publications may choose a spelling based on their audience or editorial standard.
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How do educators teach these spellings?
Educators teach the spelling that conforms to the regional language standard.
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Are there any legal implications of the spelling?
No, there are no legal implications; the choice of spelling is a matter of linguistic preference.
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Are there any grammatical differences between "Color" and "Colour"?
There are no grammatical differences; the variations are purely in spelling.
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Nov 15, 2023
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About Author
Written by
Shumaila SaeedShumaila Saeed, an expert content creator with 6 years of experience, specializes in distilling complex topics into easily digestible comparisons, shining a light on the nuances that both inform and educate readers with clarity and accuracy.
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