Lime vs Chartreuse
Can you tell them apart?
#32CD32
#7FFF00
Perceptual difference (ΔE): 29.9 — clearly different.
Lime and chartreuse share the same yellow-green neighbourhood but stake out different spots within it. Lime green is bright, mid-green — the colour of a sliced lime fruit — balanced between pure green and a touch of yellow. Chartreuse, named after the French liqueur, is a much more extreme yellow-green: more yellow than green, almost fluorescent in high saturation. Both are vivid, but chartreuse pushes hard toward yellow while lime stays more centred in green territory. Chartreuse is often described as the colour that green and yellow make when no one's watching.
How to tell them apart
Chartreuse will look noticeably more yellow when placed beside lime, which stays more green. If it reads as 'vivid green', it's lime; if it reads as 'neon yellow that became a green', it's chartreuse.
Color values
| HEX | #32CD32 |
|---|---|
| RGB | 50, 205, 50 |
| HSL | 120°, 61%, 50% |
| CMYK | 76, 0, 76, 20 |
| HEX | #7FFF00 |
|---|---|
| RGB | 127, 255, 0 |
| HSL | 90°, 100%, 50% |
| CMYK | 50, 0, 100, 0 |
FAQ
- Is chartreuse yellow or green?
- It's yellow-green, but sits closer to yellow than lime green does — chartreuse is more yellow-dominant.
- Is lime green the same as chartreuse?
- No. Lime green is more centred in the green hue while chartreuse leans further toward yellow.