Colour Contrast Checker
Check your foreground and background colours against WCAG 2.2 contrast requirements. Instant results for AA and AAA compliance levels.
Large text preview (24px bold)
This is how your normal body text will appear with these colour settings. Good contrast ensures all users, including those with low vision or colour deficiencies, can comfortably read your content.
Small text (14px) is the hardest to read and requires the highest contrast ratio.
Contrast Ratio
17.06:1
Excellent
AA Normal Text
4.5:1Body text, paragraphs, labels (under 18pt or 14pt bold)
AA Large Text
3:1Headings and large text (18pt+ or 14pt+ bold)
AAA Normal Text
7:1Enhanced readability for body text
AAA Large Text
4.5:1Enhanced readability for headings and large text
Understanding WCAG Contrast Requirements
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 define minimum contrast ratios to ensure text is readable for people with low vision, colour deficiencies, or those reading on screens in bright environments.
Level AA (Minimum)
- 4.5:1 for normal text (under 18pt / 14pt bold)
- 3:1 for large text (18pt+ / 14pt+ bold)
Level AAA (Enhanced)
- 7:1 for normal text (under 18pt / 14pt bold)
- 4.5:1 for large text (18pt+ / 14pt+ bold)
Why does this matter? Approximately 1 in 12 men and 1 in 200 women have some form of colour vision deficiency. Additionally, contrast requirements benefit everyone in challenging reading conditions like bright sunlight, glare, or using older displays.
Large text is more forgiving. Larger characters are easier to read at lower contrast ratios, which is why WCAG allows a lower threshold for text at 18pt (24px) or above, or 14pt (18.66px) bold or above.
The European Accessibility Act (EAA) and UK Equality Act both reference WCAG 2.1 AA as the baseline standard. Meeting these contrast ratios is a fundamental part of legal compliance for digital products and services.
Contrast is just the beginning
Need a full accessibility audit? OpenScouter's neurodivergent testers find issues automated tools miss, from cognitive overload to confusing navigation flows that no colour checker can detect.