Color vs. Colour — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on October 3, 2023
Color and Colour mean the same, representing hue, but "Color" is used in American English while "Colour" is used in British English.
Difference Between Color and Colour
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Color and Colour, while semantically identical, showcase a classic divergence between American English and British English. Color, spelled without the "u," is the preferred and recognized spelling in American English. On the other hand, Colour, featuring the "u," is the accepted form across the United Kingdom, and often in other Commonwealth nations.
Both Color and Colour represent the characteristic of objects produced by the light they reflect, transmit, or emit in so far as this light causes a visual sensation dependent on its wavelengths. While Color is pervasive in American publications, Colour holds sway in British texts, offering identical meanings but with regional adherence to their respective spellings.
It's noteworthy that the distinction between Color and Colour extends into derivatives and compounds. For example, Americans would write "colorful" while Brits would pen "colourful," adhering to the foundational divergence in spelling. Despite this, the contextual usage, and inherent meaning remains consistently identical.
The variations, Color and Colour, permeate not only in general vernacular but also in technical and formal writing. Be it “color theory” in the USA or “colour theory” in the UK, the concepts and principles being discussed remain the same, the spelling being the primary, and essentially, the only differentiator.
Moreover, the adoption of Color or Colour can convey adherence to a particular linguistic tradition or alignment with certain international standards. While internationally collaborative scientific publications may lean towards American English, and thereby, Color, British media, literature, and scholarly articles remain steadfast in their use of Colour.
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Comparison Chart
Spelling
Without “u”
With “u”
Regional Usage
American English
British/Commonwealth English
Derivative Spelling
Colorful
Colourful
Example Usage in a Phrase
Color theory
Colour theory
Adjective Form
Colored
Coloured
Compare with Definitions
Color
A pigment or dye.
She added red color to the mix.
Colour
A property of light seen by people.
The colour of apples is generally red.
Color
To apply hues to an object or drawing.
The child loves to color drawings.
Colour
A substance used to give hue.
She bought a blue colour for her artwork.
Color
A particular military insignia or uniform.
The soldier was honored with a color.
Colour
A flag or symbol representing a group or country.
The colour was raised during the anthem.
Color
Color (American English), or colour (Commonwealth English), is the characteristic of visual perception described through color categories, with names such as red, orange, yellow, green, blue, or purple. This perception of color derives from the stimulation of photoreceptor cells (in particular cone cells in the human eye and other vertebrate eyes) by electromagnetic radiation (in the visible spectrum in the case of humans).
Colour
A characteristic related to race or ethnicity.
The debate included topics on colour.
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.
Colour
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 lights flickered and changed colour
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.
Colour
Pigmentation of the skin, especially as an indication of someone's race
Discrimination on the basis of colour
Color
A gradation or variation of this aspect, especially when other than black, white, or gray; a hue:fireworks that exploded in brilliant colors.
Colour
Vivid appearance resulting from the juxtaposition of many bright things
For colour, plant groups of winter-flowering pansies
Color
A substance, such as a dye, pigment, or paint, that imparts a hue.
Colour
An item or items of a particular colour worn to identify or distinguish an individual or a member of a group, in particular a jockey or a member of a sports team
It was Devon Loch's first victory in the colours of his royal owner
It will be strange running on to the pitch in another team's colours
Color
The use of different colors in visual representation.
Colour
A shade of meaning
Many events in her past had taken on a different colour
Color
The different colors used in visual representation:one of the earliest movies in color.
Colour
A quantized property of quarks which can take three values (designated blue, green, and red) for each flavour.
Color
The general appearance of the skin, especially as an indication of good health
Regained her color after a few days' rest.
Colour
Change the colour of (something) by painting, dyeing, or shading it
He coloured her hair with a selection of blonde and brown shades
Color
A reddening of the face, as a blush or sign of anger.
Colour
(of a person or their skin) show embarrassment or shame by becoming red; blush
She coloured slightly
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.
Colour
Influence, especially in a negative way; distort
The experiences had coloured her whole existence
Color
A colored item, such as a badge, ribbon, or piece of clothing, serving as an identifying mark:wore the colors of their college.
Colour
Variant of color.
Color
A flag or banner, as of a country or military unit:a ship flying the colors of Brazil.
Colour
Standard spelling of from2=Canada
Color
The salute made during the ceremony of raising or lowering a flag.
Colour
Standard spelling of from2=Canada
Color
ColorsOne's opinion or position:Stick to your colors.
Colour
Standard spelling of from2=Canada
Color
OftencolorsCharacter or nature:revealed their true colors.
Colour
See Color.
Color
An outward and often deceptive appearance:a tale with the merest color of truth.
Colour
Any material used for its color;
She used a different color for the trim
Color
Appearance of authenticity:testimony that lends color to an otherwise absurd notion.
Colour
A race with skin pigmentation different from the white race (especially Blacks)
Color
(Law)The appearance of a legal claim, as to a right or office.
Colour
(physics) the characteristic of quarks that determines their role in the strong interaction; each flavor of quarks comes in three colors
Color
Vividness or variety in expression:a story told with a lot of color.
Colour
Interest and variety and intensity;
The Puritan Period was lacking in color
Color
Commentary distinguished by vivid details or background information, as during a sports broadcast:A former coach provided the color for the championship game.
Colour
The timbre of a musical sound;
The recording fails to capture the true color of the original music
Color
Local color.
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
Color
The use or effect of pigment in painting, as distinct from form.
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
Color
(Music)Quality of tone or timbre.
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
Color
A particle or bit of gold found in auriferous gravel or sand.
Colour
Modify or bias;
His political ideas color his lectures
Color
(Physics)See color charge.
Colour
Decorate with colors;
Color the walls with paint in warm tones
Color
(Astronomy)See color index.
Colour
Gloss or excuse;
Color a lie
Color
To impart color to or change the color of.
Colour
Affect as in thought or feeling;
My personal feelings color my judgment in this case
The sadness tinged his life
Color
To give a distinctive character or quality to; modify:"Both books are colored by the author's childhood experiences"(Deborah M. Locke).
Colour
Add color to;
The child colored the drawings
Fall colored the trees
Colorize black and white film
Color
To exert an influence on; affect:The war colored the soldier's life.
Colour
Change color, often in an undesired manner;
The shirts discolored
Color
To misrepresent, especially by distortion or exaggeration:color the facts.
Colour
Having or capable of producing colors;
Color film
He rented a color television
Marvelous color illustrations
Color
To gloss over; excuse:a parent who colored the children's lies.
Colour
To imbue a surface with shades or hues.
The artist will colour the sketch tomorrow.
Color
To take on color.
Color
To change color.
Color
To become red in the face; redden or blush.
Color
(uncountable) The spectral composition of visible light.
Humans and birds can perceive color.
Color
A subset thereof:
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.
Color
(uncountable) Hue as opposed to achromatic colors (black, white and grays).
He referred to the white flag as one "drained of all color".
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.
Color
(heraldry) Any of the standard dark tinctures used in a coat of arms, including azure, gules, sable, and vert.
Color
A paint.
The artist took out her colors and began work on a landscape.
Color
(uncountable) Human skin tone, especially as an indicator of race or ethnicity.
Color has been a sensitive issue in many societies.
Color
(medicine) Skin color, noted as normal, jaundiced, cyanotic, flush, mottled, pale, or ashen as part of the skin signs assessment.
Color
A flushed appearance of blood in the face; redness of complexion.
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?
Color
A standard, flag, or insignia:
Color
(in the plural) A standard or banner.
The loss of their colors destroyed the regiment's morale.
Color
(in the plural) The flag of a nation or team.
The colors were raised over the new territory.
Color
(in the plural) Gang insignia.
Both of the perpetrators were wearing colors.
Color
(in the plural) An award for sporting achievement, particularly within a school or university.
He was awarded colors for his football.
Color
The morning ceremony of raising the flag.
Color
(physics) A property of quarks, with three values called red, green, and blue, which they can exchange by passing gluons; color charge.
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.
Color
(typography) The relative lightness or darkness of a mass of written or printed text on a page. (See type color)
Color
(snooker) Any of the colored balls excluding the reds.
Color
A front or facade; an ostensible truth actually false; pretext.
Color
An appearance of right or authority; color of law.
Under color of law, he managed to bilk taxpayers of millions of dollars.
Color
Conveying color, as opposed to shades of gray.
Color television and movies were considered a great improvement over black and white.
Color
(transitive) To give something color.
We could color the walls red.
Color
(transitive) To cause (a pipe, especially a meerschaum) to take on a brown or black color, by smoking.
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.
Color
(of a person or their face) To become red through increased blood flow.
Her face colored as she realized her mistake.
Color
To affect without completely changing.
That interpretation certainly colors my perception of the book.
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.
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.
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.
Color
Any hue distinguished from white or black.
Color
The hue or color characteristic of good health and spirits; ruddy complexion.
Give color to my pale cheek.
Color
That which is used to give color; a paint; a pigment; as, oil colors or water colors.
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.
Color
Shade or variety of character; kind; species.
Boys and women are for the most part cattle of this color.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Color
To hide.
That by his fellowship he color mightBoth his estate and love from skill of any wight.
Color
To acquire color; to turn red, especially in the face; to blush.
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
Color
Interest and variety and intensity;
The Puritan Period was lacking in color
Color
The timbre of a musical sound;
The recording fails to capture the true color of the original music
Color
A race with skin pigmentation different from the white race (especially Blacks)
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
Color
Any material used for its color;
She used a different color for the trim
Color
(physics) the characteristic of quarks that determines their role in the strong interaction; each flavor of quarks comes in three colors
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
Color
Add color to;
The child colored the drawings
Fall colored the trees
Colorize black and white film
Color
Affect as in thought or feeling;
My personal feelings color my judgment in this case
The sadness tinged his life
Color
Modify or bias;
His political ideas color his lectures
Color
Decorate with colors;
Color the walls with paint in warm tones
Color
Gloss or excuse;
Color a lie
Color
Change color, often in an undesired manner;
The shirts discolored
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
Color
A characteristic appearance determined by light wavelengths.
The color of the sky is blue.
Color
A specific ethnic or racial characteristic.
Discussions on color should be respectful.
Common Curiosities
Is "Color" acceptable in British English?
"Color" is typically replaced with "Colour" in British English, though it's usually understood to be the American English variant.
Can I use "Colour" in American publications?
While understandable, using "Colour" in American publications is not standard and "Color" is the conventional spelling.
How do derivatives of "Color" and "Colour" differ?
Derivatives also adhere to regional spellings, e.g., “colorful” (American) vs. “colourful” (British).
Are "Color" and "Colour" identical in meaning?
Yes, "Color" and "Colour" carry the same meaning but adhere to American and British English spelling conventions respectively.
Is “Color” used in specific industries internationally?
Certain industries, especially tech and science, often use American English, so “Color” might be prevalent.
Are there exceptions to using "Color" and "Colour" in American and British English?
No standard exceptions exist; usage adheres to regional linguistic standards.
Does using "Color" vs. "Colour" affect SEO?
Yes, regional spelling can impact SEO and adherence to local usage is advisable.
Which spelling is used in international treaties or collaborations?
It can vary, but many international documents, especially in science, opt for American English, i.e., "Color."
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
