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Effervescent Limpid

#38e5f1
Notes

Effervescent Limpid (#38E5F1) is a true cyan with a neon character. It sits at the high-saturation edge of its family. Use it sparingly, as signage, accent, or highlight against darker surfaces. Its HSL profile (184°, 87%, 58%) places it in the highly saturated band at a mid lightness. Best used in small doses, like logos, CTAs, focus rings, or highlight text, where its saturation becomes a feature rather than noise. For a confident two-color system, pair it with its complementary red. For something softer, pull in its analogous neighbors on either side of the wheel.

HEX
#38e5f1
RGB
rgb(56, 229, 241)
HSL
hsl(184, 87%, 58%)
HWB
hwb(184 22% 5%)
OKLCH
oklch(84.4% 0.133 202.2)
HSV
hsv(184, 77%, 95%)
LAB
lab(83.56% -37.95 -18.11)
LCH
lch(83.56% 42.05 205.51)
CMYK
cmyk(77%, 5%, 0%, 5%)

Etymology

Effervescent
adjective

Latin effervēscēns, boiling-out — present-participle of effervesce, sharing root with fervere (to boil). As a color modifier, effervescent implies a saturated-and-bubbling-and-active quality, the bright color of Champagne-and-Prosecco effervescent-wine carbonation-bubble-light reflection. Sits at the bright-and-effervescent end of the grid, parallel to fizzy and sparkling in usage.

Limpid
noun

An adjectival noun meaning clear and untroubled — used for the soft pale-blue of perfectly transparent water. Limpid color refers to a limpid alpine lake at dawn before any wind: a soft, slightly cool pale blue with the optical clarity of unperturbed water.

Closest matches

The nearest named color in three reference sources, ranked by perceptual distance (ΔE76 in CIELAB). ΔE < 1 is imperceptible to most viewers; ΔE > 10 is clearly different. When two sources point to the same hex they’re merged into one tile; click any to open that color’s page.

Variations

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Harmonies

Accessibility

Color-vision simulation

How this color appears to viewers with the four major color-vision-deficiency types. Computed via the Machado (2009) physiologically-based model. If a tile matches the original, the color reads the same to that viewer.

#38e5f1
Original
#d3dbf2
Protanopia
#bac8f2
Deuteranopia
#00eee8
Tritanopia
#c1c1c1
Achromatopsia
WCAG contrast

The color used as foreground text against pure white and pure black, with the contrast ratio and WCAG 2.1 grade. Aim for AA (4.5:1) for body text and AA Large (3:1) for 18 pt+ headlines; AAA (7:1) is the gold standard for long-form reading surfaces.

The quick brown foxSample body text at normal size. The wcag minimum for body contrast is 4.5:1 (AA) or 7:1 (AAA).
Failon White
1.54:1
The quick brown foxSample body text at normal size. The wcag minimum for body contrast is 4.5:1 (AA) or 7:1 (AAA).
AAAon Black
13.65:1

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