Chartreuse vs Lime

Chartreuse and Lime are both greens, but they are not the same color: the measured difference between their classic values is ΔE 7.4, noticeably different side by side.

Chartreuse

RGB: 127, 255, 0
HSL: 90, 100%, 50%
OKLCH: 89.0% 0.265 136.0

Temperature: neutral, leaning warm

Closest encyclopedia entry: Loud Lime

Lime

RGB: 191, 255, 0
HSL: 75, 100%, 50%
OKLCH: 92.2% 0.234 125.9

Temperature: neutral, leaning warm

Closest encyclopedia entry: Limoncello

Measured difference: ΔE 7.4 · noticeably different side by side. ΔE is a measure of perceived color difference; below 2.3 most people can't tell colors apart.

Guide

How to tell Chartreuse and Lime apart

1 Lime is measurably lighter (3 points of OKLCH lightness). Squint: the one that survives is Chartreuse.
2 Chartreuse carries more chroma, so it reads more saturated. Lime looks grayer in direct comparison.
3 Their hues sit 10 degrees apart on the wheel. Put them on white side by side and the hue gap is the first thing you see.

Guide

When to use which

Chartreuse is a surface color: it needs a dark background before it can carry text.

Lime is a surface color: it needs a dark background before it can carry text.

Palettes

Their palettes, side by side

Chartreuse complementary palette

Lime complementary palette

Chartreuse analogous palette

Lime analogous palette

FAQ

FAQs

Are Chartreuse and Lime the same color?

No. Using their classic reference values, they differ by ΔE 7.4 (a measure of perceived color difference; below 2.3 most people can't tell colors apart). That makes them noticeably different side by side.

Which is darker, Chartreuse or Lime?

Chartreuse is darker: 3 points lower in OKLCH lightness than Lime.