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White on grey: contrast checker

White on grey means #ffffff text on a #808080 background, and the contrast ratio is 3.94:1. It fails AA for normal text and only passes for large text (24 px, or 18.7 px bold) and for UI components. Mid grey is the hardest background for any text colour, because it is far from both black and white.

Contrast ratio

Passes: AA large text, UI and graphics.

Large text, 24 px bold

Normal text at 16 px. The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog, and the contrast should be easy to read.

Button

Colour-blindness preview

How the pair may look with each type of colour vision, and whether normal text still passes AA. This is an approximation for design checks, not a medical test.

  • Aa Sample textProtanopiaNo red-sensitive cones.3.94:1AA fail
  • Aa Sample textDeuteranopiaNo green-sensitive cones.3.94:1AA fail
  • Aa Sample textTritanopiaNo blue-sensitive cones.3.94:1AA fail
  • Aa Sample textAchromatopsiaNo colour vision, only light and dark.3.94:1AA fail

rgb(255, 255, 255) · hsl(0, 0%, 100%)

rgb(128, 128, 128) · hsl(0, 0%, 50%)

  • AA normal text4.5:1Fail
  • AA large text3:1Pass
  • AAA normal text7:1Fail
  • AAA large text4.5:1Fail
  • UI and graphics3:1Pass

Contrast ratio 3.94 to 1. Passes: AA large text, UI and graphics.

Fix suggestions

The closest colours that reach 4.50:1. Only lightness changes, so the hue stays the same.

Change the text colour

Or change the background

Similar colour pairs

How to check any pair

  1. Enter two colours

    Type a hex, rgb or hsl value, use the colour picker, or pick any pixel on your screen where the browser supports it.

  2. Read the verdict

    The ratio and five badges update as you type. Each badge says pass or fail for one WCAG level.

  3. Check the specimen

    See your colours as normal text, large text, a button outline and an icon, exactly as a visitor would.

  4. Fix a failing pair

    Pick a target ratio and apply the closest passing colour. Only lightness changes, so your hue stays recognisable. A colour-blindness preview shows how the pair holds up for other eyes.

  5. Share or compare

    Copy the result as text, CSS or an image, or copy a link that opens the same colours. Switch to grid mode to compare up to eight colours at once.

Questions about white on grey

Is white on grey accessible?

Only for large text and UI parts. #ffffff on #808080 reaches 3.94:1, which clears the 3 to 1 minimum but not the 4.5 to 1 needed for normal text.

Can I use white on grey for body text?

Not for body text. Keep white on grey for headings from 24 px, bold text from about 18.7 px, or icons and borders.

How do I fix white on grey?

Keep the background #808080 and change the text from #ffffff to #171717. It is the closest colour with the same hue and reaches 4.53:1. The checker above can also suggest a background change.

Next step

Put your colours on a favicon

Once your brand colours pass, turn one of them into a favicon and app icon set, with the manifest and the HTML to paste, in a single ZIP.

Make a favicon
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About these tools

Small tools, made by Sifency

Sifency is a small studio that builds themes, plugins and web apps. These tools began as the things we kept needing ourselves, so we tidied them up and left them open for everyone. There is nothing to sign up for.