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Spectral Frock Turquoise

#3debd8
Notes

Spectral Frock Turquoise (#3DEBD8) is a true teal with a vibrant character. It holds its own as a focal accent, carrying visual weight without tipping into neon territory. Its HSL profile (173°, 81%, 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
#3debd8
RGB
rgb(61, 235, 216)
HSL
hsl(173, 81%, 58%)
HWB
hwb(173 24% 8%)
OKLCH
oklch(85.1% 0.139 184.0)
HSV
hsv(173, 74%, 92%)
LAB
lab(84.67% -47.07 -3.26)
LCH
lch(84.67% 47.18 183.96)
CMYK
cmyk(74%, 0%, 8%, 8%)

Etymology

Spectral
adjective

Latin spectrum, appearance — adjectival suffix -al. As a color modifier, spectral implies a saturated-and-rainbow-decomposed-and-pure quality, the bright color of Newton-prism sunlight-decomposed seven-color spectrum band. Sits at the bright-and-pure end of the grid, parallel to prismatic and pure in usage.

Frock
modifier

Old French froc, monk's-habit-or-loose-garment. As a color modifier, frock implies a monk's-habit-and-pinafore-and-day-frock quality, the visual register of Benedictine-monk's-frock-and-Edwardian-day-frock hand-monk's-habit-and-pinafore-and-day-frock Benedictine-monk's-frock-and-Edwardian-day-frock-and-pinafore frock-and-monk's-habit-and-pinafore surfaces under Benedictine-monk's-frock-and-Edwardian-day-frock-and-pinafore Cluny-Abbey-and-Edwardian-tea-room habit-and-day-dress-light. Sits at the modifier-and-textile end of the grid, parallel to gown and cope in usage.

Turquoise
noun

The hydrated copper-aluminum phosphate mined in Persia and the American Southwest for thousands of years — the firuze of Iran, the chalchihuitl of Mesoamerica, the heart of Pueblo and Navajo silverwork. The color refers to a fine Sleeping Beauty turquoise from Arizona: a saturated, slightly green-shifted blue with the slight matrix of host-rock veining. Brighter than persian, lighter than cerulean.

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.

#3debd8
Original
#dfddd7
Protanopia
#c8ccda
Deuteranopia
#00f0e5
Tritanopia
#c5c5c5
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
1.49:1
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
14.07:1

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