Colours in English – shades, words and useful expressions

Learn 134 English colour words, shades and common expressions. Study English-only clues, listen to pronunciation, practise with flashcards and take a quiz.

Colour vocabulary – words and example sentences

Colours in English – words, phrases and example sentences
English clue	English word or phrase and pronunciation
Nouns
the appearance of something such as red, green or blue	colour The artist used colour in the painting.
a substance that gives paint its colour	pigment The artist used pigment in the painting.
the colour of a clear daytime sky	blue The artist used blue in the painting.
a light brown shade	tan; burnt umber The artist used tan in the painting.
a variation of a colour or an area without direct light	shade; shadow The artist used shade in the painting.
a coloured liquid used on surfaces	paint The artist used paint in the painting.
paints made with oil	oil colours The artist used oil colours in the painting.
paints mixed with water	water colours The artist used water colours in the painting.
the appearance of something such as red, green or blue	colour The artist used colour in the painting.
an English word or phrase used to describe colour or painting	hue; shade; tint The artist used hue in the painting.
a range of colours or an artist’s mixing board	palette The artist used palette in the painting.
the complete range of visible colours	colour spectrum The artist used colour spectrum in the painting.
how light, dark, warm or cool a colour appears	tone The artist used tone in the painting.
a small amount of a particular colour	tinge The artist used tinge in the painting.
Adjectives and colour descriptions
containing many different colours	colourful She chose a colourful colour for the room.
colours opposite each other on the colour wheel	complementary colours These designs use complementary colours.
basic colours used to mix others	primary colours These designs use primary colours.
having no colour	colourless She chose a colourless colour for the room.
a pale sandy brown colour	beige She chose a beige colour for the room.
the colour of fresh snow	white She chose a white colour for the room.
a light, soft shade of blue	pale blue She chose a pale blue colour for the room.
light or not strongly coloured	pale She chose a pale colour for the room.
reflecting or producing bright light	shining; shiny She chose a shining colour for the room.
the colour of chocolate or wood	brown She chose a brown colour for the room.
a warm golden-orange colour	amber She chose a amber colour for the room.
covered with small spots	speckled She chose a speckled colour for the room.
a deep brown shade	dark brown She chose a dark brown colour for the room.
having little light or a deep colour	dark She chose a dark colour for the room.
describing colours such as red, orange and yellow	warm She chose a warm colour for the room.
a bright yellow like the fruit	lemon yellow She chose a lemon yellow colour for the room.
completely black	pitch-black She chose a pitch-black colour for the room.
the darkest colour	black She chose a black colour for the room.
a rich dark brown shade	chocolate She chose a chocolate colour for the room.
the colour of a ripe tomato	red She chose a red colour for the room.
gentle and not harsh or intense	soft She chose a soft colour for the room.
a bluish-purple colour	violet She chose a violet colour for the room.
a soft pale purple shade	mauve She chose a mauve colour for the room.
extremely bright and vivid	fluorescent She chose a fluorescent colour for the room.
a very dark shade of blue	navy blue She chose a navy blue colour for the room.
a deep blue-purple colour	indigo She chose a indigo colour for the room.
strong, clear and full of light	bright; lurid She chose a bright colour for the room.
a pale brown shade	light brown She chose a light brown colour for the room.
a soft yellow shade	light yellow She chose a light yellow colour for the room.
pale rather than dark	light She chose a light colour for the room.
a warm reddish-brown shade	chestnut (brown) She chose a chestnut (brown) colour for the room.
brown like brewed coffee	coffee-coloured She chose a coffee-coloured colour for the room.
a muted yellowish-brown or green shade	khaki-coloured She chose a khaki-coloured colour for the room.
containing many different colours	colourful She chose a colourful colour for the room.
colours that look harmonious together	matching/toning colours These designs use matching/toning colours.
a pale yellowish-white colour	cream She chose a cream colour for the room.
too bright or showy	gaudy; garish She chose a gaudy colour for the room.
a soft purple colour	lavender She chose a lavender colour for the room.
a bright blue like a clear sky	azure; sky blue She chose a azure colour for the room.
a pale pinkish-purple colour	lilac She chose a lilac colour for the room.
not shiny or glossy	matte She chose a matte colour for the room.
a deep yellow-brown shade	mustard She chose a mustard colour for the room.
slightly blue	bluish She chose a bluish colour for the room.
a grey shade with a hint of blue	blue-grey She chose a blue-grey colour for the room.
an earthy yellow or reddish-brown colour	ochre She chose a ochre colour for the room.
changed from its original colour	discoloured She chose a discoloured colour for the room.
a muted yellowish-green shade	olive She chose a olive colour for the room.
a medium brown shade like the wood	walnut She chose a walnut colour for the room.
extremely bright, almost hard to look at	dazzling She chose a dazzling colour for the room.
soft, pale and low in intensity	pastel She chose a pastel colour for the room.
a light yellowish-brown colour	tawny; fawn She chose a tawny colour for the room.
the colour of a ripe orange	orange She chose a orange colour for the room.
not bright or vivid	dim She chose a dim colour for the room.
a colour between red and blue	purple She chose a purple colour for the room.
brown with a red tint	reddish-brown She chose a reddish-brown colour for the room.
a soft pink shade	rose She chose a rose colour for the room.
a pale red colour	pink She chose a pink colour for the room.
a shiny grey colour like the metal	silver She chose a silver colour for the room.
a cool medium grey shade	steel grey She chose a steel grey colour for the room.
softened and not very bright	muted She chose a muted colour for the room.
a colour between black and white	grey She chose a grey colour for the room.
a rich, deep red	crimson; scarlet She chose a crimson colour for the room.
a blue-green colour	turquoise She chose a turquoise colour for the room.
having several different colours	multi coloured She chose a multi coloured colour for the room.
a muted purple shade	heather purple She chose a heather purple colour for the room.
having lost some of its original colour	faded She chose a faded colour for the room.
strongly defined or striking	sharp She chose a sharp colour for the room.
a deep dark green	bottle green These designs use bottle green.
a soft blue-green colour	sea green These designs use sea green.
the colour of grass and leaves	green She chose a green colour for the room.
describing cool colours such as blue and green	cold She chose a cold colour for the room.
yellow like gold	golden She chose a golden colour for the room.
the colour of a ripe lemon	yellow She chose a yellow colour for the room.
a very bright and intense colour	vivid colour These designs use vivid colour.
Verbs
to change hair or fabric using a colouring substance	to dye (hair, clothes) We learned how to dye (hair, clothes) in art class.
an English word or phrase used to describe an action involving colour	to colour; to dye We learned how to colour in art class.
to become less colourful or lose colour in the face	to turn pale; to go white We learned how to turn pale in art class.
to choose colours that go well together	to match colours We learned how to match colours in art class.
to look unpleasant when combined	to clash (of colours) We learned how to clash (of colours) in art class.
to combine colours smoothly	to blend colours We learned how to blend colours in art class.
to cover a surface with paint	to paint We learned how to paint in art class.
to combine different colours	to mix colours We learned how to mix colours in art class.
to become very red	to turn crimson; to go crimson We learned how to turn crimson in art class.
to change or spoil the original colour	to discolour We learned how to discolour in art class.
to look attractive next to another colour	to go with (a colour) We learned how to go with (a colour) in art class.
to become less bright over time	to fade We learned how to fade in art class.
to become red	to redden We learned how to redden in art class.
to become red, often from embarrassment	to turn red We learned how to turn red in art class.
to become green	to turn green We learned how to turn green in art class.
to make or become darker	to darken We learned how to darken in art class.
to make or become white	to whiten We learned how to whiten in art class.
to coat with white paint or lime	to whitewash; to bleach We learned how to whitewash in art class.
to make or become black	to blacken We learned how to blacken in art class.
to become pink or red in the face	to blush We learned how to blush in art class.
to become a different colour	to change colour We learned how to change colour in art class.
Colour idioms and expressions
to owe money or have a negative balance	to be in the red We learned the expression “to be in the red” in class.
to be good at growing plants	to have green fingers; to have a green thumb We learned the expression “to have green fingers” in class.
to be very healthy and well	to be in the pink We learned the expression “to be in the pink” in class.
coffee served without milk	black coffee We learned the expression “black coffee” in class.
a person who is different from or disapproved of by a group	black sheep We learned the expression “black sheep” in class.
illegal buying and selling	black market We learned the expression “black market” in class.
coffee served with milk	white coffee We learned the expression “white coffee” in class.
distinctive features of a place or community	local colour We learned the expression “local colour” in class.
to feel sad	to feel blue We learned the expression “to feel blue” in class.
unexpectedly and without warning	out of the blue We learned the expression “out of the blue” in class.
very rarely	once in a blue moon We learned the expression “once in a blue moon” in class.
an angry or unfriendly expression	black look We learned the expression “black look” in class.
covered with bruises	black and blue We learned the expression “black and blue” in class.
to be extremely jealous	to be green with envy We learned the expression “to be green with envy” in class.
something expensive that is more trouble than it is worth	white elephant We learned the expression “white elephant” in class.
to help someone look healthy again	to bring the colour back to sb's cheeks We learned the expression “to bring the colour back to sb's cheeks” in class.
an unrealistically optimistic way of seeing things	rose-coloured/rose-tinted spectacles We learned the expression “rose-coloured/rose-tinted spectacles” in class.
healthy-looking pink cheeks	rosy cheeks We learned the expression “rosy cheeks” in class.
a traditional wedding with a white dress	white wedding We learned the expression “white wedding” in class.
a Christmas with snow	White Christmas We learned the expression “White Christmas” in class.
an area of protected open land around a town	a green belt We learned the expression “a green belt” in class.
the colour green looks good on you	green suits you We learned the expression “green suits you” in class.
a very wide variety of colours	all the colours of the rainbow We learned the expression “all the colours of the rainbow” in class.
with great success	with flying colours We learned the expression “with flying colours” in class.
to be discovered while doing something wrong	to be caught red-handed We learned the expression “to be caught red-handed” in class.

Flashcards – English colours

Read the English clue and try to remember the matching word or phrase.

English colours quiz

Type the word or phrase that matches the English clue. The quiz has 10 random questions.

Twoja odpowiedź po angielsku

How to learn colour vocabulary

Start with basic colours, then learn shades and modifiers such as light, dark, pale and bright. Pay attention to idioms where a colour has a figurative meaning.