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Earthycyan

Quiet Aqua Whisper

#3e9ba9
Notes

Quiet Aqua Whisper (#3E9BA9) is a true cyan with an earthy character. It leans grounded and natural, the kind of color that plays well with wood, clay, linen, and warm neutrals. Its HSL profile (188°, 46%, 45%) places it in the balanced band at a mid lightness. It works across type, buttons, and borders, saturated enough to feel deliberate but balanced enough to not fight the rest of the palette. 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
#3e9ba9
RGB
rgb(62, 155, 169)
HSL
hsl(188, 46%, 45%)
HWB
hwb(188 24% 34%)
OKLCH
oklch(64.0% 0.089 208.9)
HSV
hsv(188, 63%, 66%)
LAB
lab(59.28% -22.84 -15.46)
LCH
lch(59.28% 27.58 214.08)
CMYK
cmyk(63%, 8%, 0%, 34%)

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

Click any swatch to explore

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.

#3e9ba9
Original
#8e95aa
Protanopia
#7e8aa9
Deuteranopia
#00a29f
Tritanopia
#888888
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).
AA Largeon White
3.25:1
The quick brown foxSample body text at normal size. The wcag minimum for body contrast is 4.5:1 (AA) or 7:1 (AAA).
AAon Black
6.47:1

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Canvas