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.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 15, 2023
In American publications and correspondence, "Color" is predominantly used, whereas "Colour" is the preferred form in British contexts, including the UK, Canada, and Australia.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 15, 2023
Both "Color" and "Colour" originate from the Latin word "color," but "Colour" reflects historical phonetic and spelling changes in British English.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 15, 2023
Dictionaries often list "Color" and "Colour" separately, noting the regional usage preferences for each spelling.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 15, 2023
In cultural contexts, "Color" aligns with American English norms, while "Colour" is associated with British and Commonwealth English traditions.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 15, 2023
ADVERTISEMENT
Comparison Chart
Usage Region
Preferred in the USA
Preferred in the UK and Commonwealth countries
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 15, 2023
Dictionary Representation
Listed as American English standard
Listed as British English standard
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 15, 2023
Linguistic Origin
Derived from Latin "color"
Evolved from Middle English "colour"
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 15, 2023
Cultural Influence
Influences American language and culture
Influences British and Commonwealth language and culture
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 15, 2023
ADVERTISEMENT
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.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 15, 2023
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.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 15, 2023
Color
Color implies vividness or variety in expression or detail.
Her stories always had a lot of color in them.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 15, 2023
Colour
Colour is used to describe a particular pigment, especially in art.
She mixed the colours carefully for her painting.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 15, 2023
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.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
ADVERTISEMENT
Colour
Colour can also indicate race or ethnicity in certain contexts.
The policy was criticized for being blind to colour.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 15, 2023
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.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Colour
Colour is sometimes used to mean a characteristic that adds interest.
The local characters gave colour to the small town.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 15, 2023
Color
A gradation or variation of this aspect, especially when other than black, white, or gray; a hue:fireworks that exploded in brilliant colors.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Colour
Colour is used figuratively to suggest vividness or variety.
His account of the trip was full of colour.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 15, 2023
Color
The different colors used in visual representation:one of the earliest movies in color.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Color
The general appearance of the skin, especially as an indication of good health
Regained her color after a few days' rest.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
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.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Colour
Any material used for its color;
She used a different color for the trim
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Color
A colored item, such as a badge, ribbon, or piece of clothing, serving as an identifying mark:wore the colors of their college.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Colour
A race with skin pigmentation different from the white race (especially Blacks)
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Color
A flag or banner, as of a country or military unit:a ship flying the colors of Brazil.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Colour
(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
Colour
Interest and variety and intensity;
The Puritan Period was lacking in color
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Colour
The timbre of a musical sound;
The recording fails to capture the true color of the original music
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
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
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Color
An outward and often deceptive appearance:a tale with the merest color of truth.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
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
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Color
Appearance of authenticity:testimony that lends color to an otherwise absurd notion.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
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
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Color
Commentary distinguished by vivid details or background information, as during a sports broadcast:A former coach provided the color for the championship game.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Colour
Affect as in thought or feeling;
My personal feelings color my judgment in this case
The sadness tinged his life
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Colour
Add color to;
The child colored the drawings
Fall colored the trees
Colorize black and white film
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Colour
Having or capable of producing colors;
Color film
He rented a color television
Marvelous color illustrations
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Color
To give a distinctive character or quality to; modify:"Both books are colored by the author's childhood experiences"(Deborah M. Locke).
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Color
To misrepresent, especially by distortion or exaggeration:color the facts.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Color
(uncountable) The spectral composition of visible light.
Humans and birds can perceive color.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
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.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Color
(uncountable) Hue as opposed to achromatic colors (black, white and grays).
He referred to the white flag as one "drained of all color".
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
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.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Color
(heraldry) Any of the standard dark tinctures used in a coat of arms, including azure, gules, sable, and vert.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Color
A paint.
The artist took out her colors and began work on a landscape.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Color
(uncountable) Human skin tone, especially as an indicator of race or ethnicity.
Color has been a sensitive issue in many societies.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Color
(medicine) Skin color, noted as normal, jaundiced, cyanotic, flush, mottled, pale, or ashen as part of the skin signs assessment.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
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?
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Color
(in the plural) A standard or banner.
The loss of their colors destroyed the regiment's morale.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Color
(in the plural) The flag of a nation or team.
The colors were raised over the new territory.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Color
(in the plural) Gang insignia.
Both of the perpetrators were wearing colors.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Color
(in the plural) An award for sporting achievement, particularly within a school or university.
He was awarded colors for his football.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Color
(physics) A property of quarks, with three values called red, green, and blue, which they can exchange by passing gluons; color charge.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
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.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Color
(typography) The relative lightness or darkness of a mass of written or printed text on a page. (See type color)
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Color
An appearance of right or authority; color of law.
Under color of law, he managed to bilk taxpayers of millions of dollars.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Color
Conveying color, as opposed to shades of gray.
Color television and movies were considered a great improvement over black and white.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Color
(transitive) To cause (a pipe, especially a meerschaum) to take on a brown or black color, by smoking.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
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.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Color
(of a person or their face) To become red through increased blood flow.
Her face colored as she realized her mistake.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Color
To affect without completely changing.
That interpretation certainly colors my perception of the book.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
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.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
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.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
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.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Color
The hue or color characteristic of good health and spirits; ruddy complexion.
Give color to my pale cheek.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Color
That which is used to give color; a paint; a pigment; as, oil colors or water colors.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
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.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Color
Shade or variety of character; kind; species.
Boys and women are for the most part cattle of this color.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
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.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
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.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
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.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
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.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Color
To hide.
That by his fellowship he color mightBoth his estate and love from skill of any wight.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
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
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Color
Interest and variety and intensity;
The Puritan Period was lacking in color
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Color
The timbre of a musical sound;
The recording fails to capture the true color of the original music
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Color
A race with skin pigmentation different from the white race (especially Blacks)
Shumaila Saeed
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
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Color
Any material used for its color;
She used a different color for the trim
Shumaila Saeed
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
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Color
Add color to;
The child colored the drawings
Fall colored the trees
Colorize black and white film
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Color
Affect as in thought or feeling;
My personal feelings color my judgment in this case
The sadness tinged his life
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
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
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
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.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 15, 2023
Color
Color refers to pigment or dye in art and design.
He chose a vibrant color for the painting.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 15, 2023
Color
Color can denote racial or ethnic identity.
The event celebrated the diverse color of the community.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 15, 2023
Repeatedly Asked Queries
Is "Color" used in British English?
Typically, "Colour" is used in British English, while "Color" is American.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 15, 2023
Is "Colour" acceptable in American English?
"Colour" is understood in American English but "Color" is the standard spelling.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 15, 2023
Can "Color" and "Colour" be used interchangeably?
They can be used interchangeably, though it depends on regional spelling norms.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 15, 2023
How did "Color" come to be the American spelling?
American English often adopted simplified spellings, hence "Color" over "Colour."
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 15, 2023
What is the historical origin of "Colour"?
"Colour" comes from Middle English, influenced by Old French and Latin.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 15, 2023
Do "Color" and "Colour" have the same pronunciation?
Yes, both words are pronounced the same way.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 15, 2023
What does "Color" mean?
"Color" refers to the property that objects display as a result of the light they reflect, transmit, or emit.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 15, 2023
What does "Colour" mean?
"Colour" is the British English equivalent of "Color," with the same definition.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 15, 2023
"Color" and "Colour"?
The spelling differences reflect American and British English conventions.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 15, 2023
In digital media, which spelling is preferred?
"Color" is more common in American-made digital media, while "Colour" is used in British contexts.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 15, 2023
Does the meaning change with spelling?
No, the meaning of "Color" and "Colour" is exactly the same.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 15, 2023
Are there idioms that use "Color" or "Colour"?
Yes, there are idioms, and they may use either spelling based on regional usage.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 15, 2023
Can the spellings affect search engine results?
Yes, search results may vary slightly depending on whether "Color" or "Colour" is used.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 15, 2023
How do dictionaries handle "Color" and "Colour"?
Dictionaries typically list them as regional variations of the same word.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 15, 2023
In scientific contexts, which spelling is used?
"Color" is commonly used in American scientific literature, while "Colour" is used in British.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 15, 2023
In coding and web design, which spelling is more prevalent?
In coding, especially in American-developed languages, "Color" is more prevalent.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 15, 2023
In international publications, which spelling is preferred?
International publications may choose a spelling based on their audience or editorial standard.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 15, 2023
How do educators teach these spellings?
Educators teach the spelling that conforms to the regional language standard.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 15, 2023
Are there any legal implications of the spelling?
No, there are no legal implications; the choice of spelling is a matter of linguistic preference.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 15, 2023
Are there any grammatical differences between "Color" and "Colour"?
There are no grammatical differences; the variations are purely in spelling.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 15, 2023
Share this page
Link for your blog / website
HTML
Link to share via messenger
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.
Shumaila Saeed
