Indigo vs Violet
Can you tell them apart?
#4B0082
#7F00FF
Perceptual difference (ΔE): 54.9 — clearly different.
On the visible light spectrum indigo and violet sit beside each other between blue and purple, which is why they're perennially confused. Indigo — named after the dye plant used to colour blue jeans for centuries — is a deep, dark blue-purple, much closer to midnight blue than to what most people picture as purple. Violet is brighter and more obviously purple-blue, with higher saturation and more luminosity. Worth noting: #7F00FF here represents the spectral or 'true' violet; it differs substantially from the CSS `violet` keyword (#EE82EE), which is a light, pink-leaning purple — the two share a name but not a hue. Indigo feels ancient and serious, a dense pigment with weight; violet feels electric and chromatic, like something glowing from a black light.
How to tell them apart
Brightness is the main tell. Indigo is deep and dark, almost like a bruise; violet is vivid and luminous. If it reads as 'dark blue-purple', it's indigo; if it reads as 'bright electric purple', it's violet.
Color values
| HEX | #4B0082 |
|---|---|
| RGB | 75, 0, 130 |
| HSL | 275°, 100%, 25% |
| CMYK | 42, 100, 0, 49 |
| HEX | #7F00FF |
|---|---|
| RGB | 127, 0, 255 |
| HSL | 270°, 100%, 50% |
| CMYK | 50, 100, 0, 0 |
FAQ
- Is indigo blue or purple?
- Both — indigo sits between blue and purple on the spectrum, but it appears as a very dark blue-purple that reads closer to blue.
- Is violet lighter than indigo?
- Yes. Violet is significantly brighter and more saturated than the deep, shadowy indigo.