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Sure Cove

#4ae5f7
Notes

Sure Cove (#4AE5F7) 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 (186°, 92%, 63%) 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
#4ae5f7
RGB
rgb(74, 229, 247)
HSL
hsl(186, 92%, 63%)
HWB
hwb(186 29% 3%)
OKLCH
oklch(84.9% 0.128 206.4)
HSV
hsv(186, 70%, 97%)
LAB
lab(84.07% -34.21 -20.47)
LCH
lch(84.07% 39.87 210.89)
CMYK
cmyk(70%, 7%, 0%, 3%)

Etymology

Sure
adjective

Old French seur, certain — used as a color modifier since the medieval period for hues that read as confident and stable. Sure red, sure blue: moderate saturation combined with optical commitment. Sits at the crisp-bucket center alongside steady and true.

Cove
noun

A small coastal indentation sheltered from open ocean — particularly the small coves along the Atlantic coast of Britain, Ireland, and the American Northeast. Cove color refers to a sheltered Cornish cove at high tide: a soft, slightly cool deep blue-green with the optical clarity of sheltered Atlantic 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

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.

#4ae5f7
Original
#d2dcf8
Protanopia
#b9caf7
Deuteranopia
#00efea
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
1.52:1
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
13.84:1

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