Periwinkle vs Cornflower

Periwinkle and Cornflower are both blues, but they are not the same color: the measured difference between their classic values is ΔE 21.2, clearly different colors.

Periwinkle

RGB: 204, 204, 255
HSL: 240, 100%, 90%
OKLCH: 86.2% 0.070 284.8

Temperature: cool

Closest encyclopedia entry: Icy Plains

Cornflower

RGB: 100, 149, 237
HSL: 219, 79%, 66%
OKLCH: 67.5% 0.141 261.3

Temperature: cool

Closest encyclopedia entry: Polar Glow

Measured difference: ΔE 21.2 · clearly different colors. ΔE is a measure of perceived color difference; below 2.3 most people can't tell colors apart.

Guide

How to tell Periwinkle and Cornflower apart

1 Periwinkle is measurably lighter (19 points of OKLCH lightness). Squint: the one that survives is Cornflower.
2 Cornflower carries more chroma, so it reads more saturated. Periwinkle looks grayer in direct comparison.
3 Their hues sit 23 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

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

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

Palettes

Their palettes, side by side

Periwinkle complementary palette

Cornflower complementary palette

Periwinkle analogous palette

Cornflower analogous palette

FAQ

FAQs

Are Periwinkle and Cornflower the same color?

No. Using their classic reference values, they differ by ΔE 21.2 (a measure of perceived color difference; below 2.3 most people can't tell colors apart). That makes them clearly different colors.

Which is darker, Periwinkle or Cornflower?

Cornflower is darker: 19 points lower in OKLCH lightness than Periwinkle.