Teal vs Turquoise

Teal and Turquoise are both cyans, but they are not the same color: the measured difference between their classic values is ΔE 28.1, clearly different colors.

Teal

RGB: 0, 128, 128
HSL: 180, 100%, 25%
OKLCH: 54.3% 0.093 194.8

Temperature: cool

Closest encyclopedia entry: Teal

Turquoise

RGB: 64, 224, 208
HSL: 174, 72%, 56%
OKLCH: 82.2% 0.131 185.1

Temperature: cool

Closest encyclopedia entry: Jazzy Jade

Measured difference: ΔE 28.1 · 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 Teal and Turquoise apart

1 Turquoise is measurably lighter (28 points of OKLCH lightness). Squint: the one that survives is Teal.
2 Turquoise carries more chroma, so it reads more saturated. Teal 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

Teal passes AA for text on white (4.77:1), so it can work in type and trim, not just surfaces.

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

Palettes

Their palettes, side by side

Teal complementary palette

Turquoise complementary palette

Teal analogous palette

Turquoise analogous palette

FAQ

FAQs

Are Teal and Turquoise the same color?

No. Using their classic reference values, they differ by ΔE 28.1 (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, Teal or Turquoise?

Teal is darker: 28 points lower in OKLCH lightness than Turquoise.