Color is a fundamental part of human perception and an essential property of visual experiences. Throughout history, humans have classified and named a wide range of colors in an effort to describe, organize, and communicate visual information. But how many distinct colors actually have proper names? The answer depends on the type of color system and language being considered.
Basic Color Terms
Linguistic research has identified a set of basic color terms that tend to appear in languages around the world. These are single word terms like “red,” “green,” and “blue” that refer to colors in a general way, rather than specific shades. Early research by Brent Berlin and Paul Kay proposed that basic color terms emerge in a fixed sequence across languages, starting with black and white, then red, then green or yellow, and so on up to a total of 11 terms.
More recent studies suggest that while these 11 basic color terms are common, the exact sequence and inventory is more variable across languages. Some languages get by with as few as 2 or 3 terms, while others have 12 or more. Nonetheless, most languages do have between 5-12 basic color words that are in common regular usage.
Compound Color Terms
In addition to basic terms, many languages have more complex compound names for colors that combine multiple words. For example, in English we have color terms like “light blue,” “dark green,” and “reddish orange.” The use of modifiers expands the range of distinct colors that can be identified lexically.
One study estimated that when compound terms are included, the average English speaker has access to around 12,000 distinct color names in their vocabulary. Other research places the figure closer to 5,000-10,000 color terms, or about 5-10 per basic color word on average. However, many of these terms are less common in typical usage.
Color Sample Collections
Another approach to quantifying named colors is looking at standardized color sample collections. For example, the Pantone Matching System is popular for design applications and contains over 1,700 numbered solid colors. The Natural Color System used in Scandinavia contains around 1,950 standard colors. Other collections have between 500-1500 samples that designers can select from and identify by name.
These collections are limited by the number of physical color chips or swatches produced. But they do represent an attempt to systematically name a large set of distinct colors for practical use across different disciplines like design, printing, fashion, and manufacturing.
X11 Color Names
Within computing, a standard list of color names comes from the X Window System and its X11 color names. This is a set of just over 140 basic color terms like “gold,” “tomato,” and “thistle” that are recognized on web browsers and other software using the X11 standard. The HTML color list below shows all of the standard X11 color names:
| MediumPurple | LightPink | DeepPink |
| MistyRose | LavenderBlush | HotPink |
| VioletRed | PaleVioletRed | Maroon |
| MediumVioletRed | Orchid | Thistle |
| Plum | Violet | Magenta |
| Fuchsia | DarkMagenta | Purple |
| MediumOrchid | DarkViolet | DarkOrchid |
| Indigo | BlueViolet | DarkSlateBlue |
| SlateBlue | MediumSlateBlue | GreenYellow |
| Chartreuse | LawnGreen | Lime |
| LimeGreen | PaleGreen | LightGreen |
| MediumSpringGreen | SpringGreen | MediumSeaGreen |
| SeaGreen | ForestGreen | Green |
| DarkGreen | YellowGreen | OliveDrab |
| Olive | DarkOliveGreen | MediumAquamarine |
| DarkSeaGreen | LightSeaGreen | DarkCyan |
| Teal | Aqua | Cyan |
| LightCyan | PaleTurquoise | Aquamarine |
| Turquoise | MediumTurquoise | DarkTurquoise |
| CadetBlue | SteelBlue | LightSteelBlue |
| PowderBlue | LightBlue | SkyBlue |
| LightSkyBlue | DeepSkyBlue | DodgerBlue |
| CornflowerBlue | MediumSlateBlue | RoyalBlue |
| Blue | MediumBlue | DarkBlue |
| Navy | MidnightBlue | Cornsilk |
| BlanchedAlmond | Bisque | NavajoWhite |
| Wheat | BurlyWood | Tan |
| RosyBrown | SandyBrown | Goldenrod |
| DarkGoldenrod | Peru | Chocolate |
| SaddleBrown | Sienna | Brown |
| Maroon | White | Snow |
| Honeydew | MintCream | Azure |
| AliceBlue | GhostWhite | WhiteSmoke |
| Seashell | Beige | OldLace |
| FloralWhite | Ivory | AntiqueWhite |
| Linen | Lavender | Moccasin |
| Gainsboro | LightGray | Silver |
| DarkGray | Gray | DimGray |
| LightSlateGray | SlateGray | DarkSlateGray |
| Black | Coral | OrangeRed |
| DarkOrange | Orange | Gold |
| Yellow | LightYellow | LemonChiffon |
| LightGoldenrodYellow | PapayaWhip | Moccasin |
| PeachPuff | PaleGoldenrod | Khaki |
| DarkKhaki | Lavender | Thistle |
| Plum | Violet | Orchid |
| Fuchsia | Magenta | MediumOrchid |
| MediumPurple | BlueViolet | DarkViolet |
| DarkOrchid | DarkMagenta | Purple |
| RebeccaPurple | Indigo | DarkSlateBlue |
| SlateBlue | MediumSlateBlue | MediumPurple |
While limited compared to the full lexicon of English color terms, the X11 names cover most of the basic color spectrum and provide a useful standardized vocabulary for software applications.
Total Named Colors
Considering these different perspectives, we can estimate the total number of named colors in the English language falls somewhere between:
- 5-12 basic color terms
- 5,000-10,000 compound color terms
- 500-1,700 standardized color sample names
- 140 X11 computer color names
Many additional specialized terms exist when considering particular industries and domains as well. Overall there are at least 10,000 distinct English color names in regular use, with some estimates placing the total closer to 50,000 terms. However, many of these terms are obscure and not commonly known.
The typical educated English speaker actively uses between 100-300 distinct color terms in everyday speech and writing. Specialists like artists, designers, and color scientists work with a greater lexicon of 500 to 2,000+ color names depending on their field. English clearly contains a vast vocabulary for describing colors, but the number of terms in common usage is much more limited.
Named vs Perceivable Colors
It’s also important to note the difference between the number of named colors and the total number of colors humans can perceive. Some experts estimate the average person can distinguish 2.3 to 7.5 million distinct colors under ideal lighting conditions. This number far exceeds the 10,000 or so colors with common English names.
This difference highlights the limitations of language when it comes to describing visual experiences. While we can only name a fraction of the colors we see, the richness and subtlety of human color perception is far greater. The range of perceivable colors forms a continuous spectrum, while color names are discrete categories we use to approximate and communicate about regions along that spectrum.
Conclusion
In summary, the English lexicon contains roughly 10,000 to 50,000 distinct color names whencompound terms, standardized collections, and specialized vocabularies are considered. But most people actively use between 100-300 color terms in everyday language. Though the number of named colors is limited compared to the spectrum of perceivable colors, our diverse color vocabulary nonetheless allows effective communication about color experiences in most situations.
