#c97fd9
a light, vivid violet · neutral · closest name: Orchid
Token name suggestion: Linen Plum
#c97fd9 is a light vivid violet, 289° on the wheel and 56/100 on the cool side. Put black text on it (7.52:1). As text it scores 2.79:1 on white — use #B248C9 instead. Nearest name is Orchid, nearest Tailwind family is fuchsia.
At a glance
Every number on this page in one read: what #c97fd9 is made of, how bright it looks, and which way it leans.
Left edge is grey, right edge is full chroma; top is white, bottom is black. The dot is #c97fd9.
Reads neutral. Warm and cool siblings keep the same lightness, so you can swap one in without redoing your contrast maths.
Green carries most of what the eye calls brightness — that is why WCAG weights it 0.7152.
Every format
| HEX | #c97fd9 |
| HEX (8-digit) | #c97fd9ff |
| RGB | rgb(201, 127, 217) |
| RGBA | rgba(201, 127, 217, 1) |
| HSL | hsl(289, 54%, 68%) |
| HSV / HSB | hsv(289, 41%, 85%) |
| HWB | hwb(289 50% 15%) |
| CMYK | cmyk(7%, 42%, 0%, 15%) |
| LAB | lab(63.8 43.2 -34.6) |
| LCH | lch(63.8 55.4 321.3) |
| OKLCH | oklch(0.706 0.149 320.3) |
| XYZ (D65) | xyz(44.20, 32.61, 69.60) |
| Decimal | 13205465 |
| Display P3 | color(display-p3 0.788 0.498 0.851) |
| Web-safe | #CC66CC |
Copy-ready code
/* CSS */
color: #c97fd9;
background-color: #c97fd9;
/* CSS custom property */
--brand: #c97fd9;
/* Tailwind (arbitrary) */
class="text-[#c97fd9] bg-[#c97fd9]"
/* SCSS */
$brand: #c97fd9;
/* SwiftUI */
Color(red: 0.788, green: 0.498, blue: 0.851)
/* UIKit */
UIColor(red: 0.788, green: 0.498, blue: 0.851, alpha: 1)
/* Android XML */
<color name="brand">#C97FD9</color>
/* Android Compose */
Color(0xFFC97FD9)
/* Flutter */
Color(0xFFC97FD9)
/* Python / OpenCV (BGR) */
(217, 127, 201)
/* Python / PIL (RGB) */
(201, 127, 217)
/* Java AWT */
new Color(201, 127, 217)
/* .NET */
Color.FromArgb(255, 201, 127, 217)
/* OpenGL / Unity (0–1) */
(0.7882f, 0.4980f, 0.8510f, 1f)
/* LaTeX */
\definecolor{brand}{RGB}{201,127,217}/* mix without leaving CSS */ background: color-mix(in oklab, #c97fd9 85%, white); border-color: color-mix(in oklab, #c97fd9 40%, transparent); /* theme-aware in one line */ color: light-dark(#561D62, #E9D3EE); /* relative colour syntax */ --hover: hsl(from #c97fd9 h s calc(l - 7));
Design tokens
The same ramp in the four formats a team actually needs. Paste one and the whole palette lands with it.
:root {
--brand-50: #F9F4FB;
--brand-100: #F4E9F6;
--brand-200: #E8CEEE;
--brand-300: #DAA8E5;
--brand-400: #c97fd9;
--brand-500: #B652CC;
--brand-600: #A538BD;
--brand-700: #8A2F9D;
--brand-800: #6E257E;
--brand-900: #511F5C;
--brand-950: #331339;
--brand: #c97fd9;
--brand-ink: #000000;
--brand-surface: #F9F4FA;
--brand-border: #E4C0EC;
--brand-hover: #BD64D1;
--brand-pressed: #B248C9;
}
@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {
:root {
--brand-surface: #211424;
--brand-ink: #E9D3EE;
}
}theme: {
extend: {
colors: {
brand: {
50: '#F9F4FB',
100: '#F4E9F6',
200: '#E8CEEE',
300: '#DAA8E5',
400: '#c97fd9',
500: '#B652CC',
600: '#A538BD',
700: '#8A2F9D',
800: '#6E257E',
900: '#511F5C',
950: '#331339',
DEFAULT: '#c97fd9',
},
},
},
}$brand: (
'50': #F9F4FB,
'100': #F4E9F6,
'200': #E8CEEE,
'300': #DAA8E5,
'400': #c97fd9,
'500': #B652CC,
'600': #A538BD,
'700': #8A2F9D,
'800': #6E257E,
'900': #511F5C,
'950': #331339,
);
$brand-base: #c97fd9;
$brand-ink: #000000;
@function brand($step) { @return map-get($brand, $step); }{
"color": {
"brand": {
"50": { "$value": "#F9F4FB", "$type": "color" },
"100": { "$value": "#F4E9F6", "$type": "color" },
"200": { "$value": "#E8CEEE", "$type": "color" },
"300": { "$value": "#DAA8E5", "$type": "color" },
"400": { "$value": "#c97fd9", "$type": "color" },
"500": { "$value": "#B652CC", "$type": "color" },
"600": { "$value": "#A538BD", "$type": "color" },
"700": { "$value": "#8A2F9D", "$type": "color" },
"800": { "$value": "#6E257E", "$type": "color" },
"900": { "$value": "#511F5C", "$type": "color" },
"950": { "$value": "#331339", "$type": "color" }
},
"brandInk": { "$value": "#000000", "$type": "color" }
}
}Best text color
Only one of black and white can be right. This is the one, with the number that proves it.
Make it accessible
A contrast checker tells you that you failed. This tells you what to ship instead — same hue, same saturation, lightness moved only as far as WCAG demands.
Large text — 24px regular or 18.66px bold and above — only needs 3:1, so #C473D6 is enough for headings on white. Non-text elements such as icons, chart strokes and focus rings also sit at 3:1 under WCAG 2.2 (1.4.11).
Accessibility — WCAG contrast
Contrast is symmetric, so each row covers both directions: #c97fd9 as text on that neutral, and that neutral as text on #c97fd9.
| Neutral | Ratio | Verdict | Both directions |
|---|---|---|---|
| White#ffffff | 2.79:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 50#f8fafc | 2.67:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 100#f1f5f9 | 2.55:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 200#e2e8f0 | 2.26:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 300#cbd5e1 | 1.88:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 400#94a3b8 | 1.09:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 500#64748b | 1.70:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 600#475569 | 2.71:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 700#334155 | 3.71:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 800#1e293b | 5.24:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 900#0f172a | 6.39:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Black#000000 | 7.52:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
Roughly one man in twelve has some form of colour vision deficiency. If any of the three panels above is hard to tell apart from a neighbouring colour in your palette, add a shape, an icon or a label so the meaning does not rest on hue alone.
Color scale — 50 to 950
A Tailwind-shaped ramp built around this exact hex. #c97fd9 is pinned to step 400; the rest hold its hue and let saturation ease off at the extremes so the pale end never turns neon.
The same eleven steps expressed in OKLCH, where equal lightness numbers actually look equally spaced. HSL ramps go muddy in the yellows and washed out in the blues; this one does not. Modern browsers render it natively — the hex ramp above is the fallback.
:root {
--brand-50: oklch(0.97 0.037 320.3);
--brand-100: oklch(0.94 0.060 320.3);
--brand-200: oklch(0.88 0.089 320.3);
--brand-300: oklch(0.80 0.116 320.3);
--brand-400: oklch(0.72 0.137 320.3);
--brand-500: oklch(0.64 0.149 320.3);
--brand-600: oklch(0.56 0.149 320.3);
--brand-700: oklch(0.48 0.140 320.3);
--brand-800: oklch(0.40 0.125 320.3);
--brand-900: oklch(0.32 0.104 320.3);
--brand-950: oklch(0.24 0.082 320.3);
}Colors that work with #c97fd9
Not a palette — a role sheet. Each swatch answers one question you will hit while building the component.
Surface, border, heading and body all derive from this one hue, so the screen stays coherent without a second palette.
Lightness flips, hue holds. The accent stays the anchor in both themes.
In real components
The same eight roles, wired into the interface patterns you will actually build with them. Every state below is a computed value, not a mock-up.
Focus ring uses the light variant so the field still reads as one shape.
The file stays available for seven days. Download it before it expires.
How to use #c97fd9
Derived from its contrast, chroma and lightness — not from taste.
- ✓Text and icons on dark surfaces
- ✓Primary buttons and calls to action
- ✓Focus rings, active and selected states
- ✓Card and section backgrounds
- ✓Brand accents, badges and data highlights
- ⚠Text of any size on white — fails WCAG AA
- ⚠Full-page backgrounds — tiring over long sessions
- ⚠White text placed on it
- ⚠Pairing with a same-lightness hue — edges vibrate
Meaning and mood
What a colour in this family tends to signal, and how this particular chroma and lightness change the reading.
Violet sits between the warmth of red and the calm of blue, so it reads as inventive without reading as risky. Current shorthand for software craft.
This is a confident chroma: strong enough to lead a brand, restrained enough to live in an interface all day. The lightness keeps it airy and approachable.
Deep violets swallow detail on screens with poor gamma; check it on a cheap laptop panel.
- FormalityMedium
- EnergyMedium-high
- Weight33/100
- TemperatureNeutral
- ApproachabilityBalanced
Colour associations are cultural and vary by market. Treat these as a starting point for a conversation with your audience, not a finding about them.
Similar colors
One move away from this hex in each direction. Every swatch is its own page.
Color relationships
The wheel positions with their names attached, so you can grab the one you actually need.
| Complementary | #8FD97F | Directly opposite — maximum tension | |
| Analogous left | #9C7FD9 | Neighbour, quieter | |
| Analogous right | #D97FBC | Neighbour, quieter | |
| Split-complement 1 | #BCD97F | Contrast without the clash | |
| Split-complement 2 | #7FD99C | Contrast without the clash | |
| Triadic 1 | #D9C97F | Even thirds — balanced and loud | |
| Triadic 2 | #7FD9C9 | Even thirds — balanced and loud | |
| Tetradic | #D99C7F | Fourth corner of the square scheme |
#c97fd9 sits at 289°. Every dot is a harmony position and links to its own page in the table alongside.
RGB percentages
CMYK percentages
Total ink coverage is 64%. Most commercial presses cap around 300% — above that, sheets stop drying properly.
Color previews
#c97fd9 text on a black background
contrast 7.52:1
#c97fd9 text on a white background
contrast 2.79:1
#c97fd9 on grey
2.55:1
#c97fd9 on its own surface
2.57:1
#c97fd9 on its dark surface
6.32:1
CSS3 live lab
The quick brown fox
color: #c97fd9;
background-color: #c97fd9;
Glowing headline
text-shadow: 2px 2px 8px #c97fd9;
Soft neon halo
text-shadow: 0 0 14px rgba(201, 127, 217, 0.45);
box-shadow: 0 12px 32px -8px rgba(201, 127, 217, 0.45);
border: 3px solid #c97fd9; background: linear-gradient(135deg, #c97fd9, #D97FAD);
Gradient headline
background: linear-gradient(90deg, #c97fd9, #D97F97); -webkit-background-clip: text; color: transparent;
outline: 2px solid #c97fd9; outline-offset: 3px;
Marked up text
text-decoration-color: #c97fd9; caret-color: #c97fd9;
border-left: 4px solid #c97fd9;
background: #F7EBF9; box-shadow: inset 0 0 0 2px #c97fd9;
background: conic-gradient(#c97fd9 68%, #e2e8f0 0);
Transparency
What each alpha value actually composites to. The top row is #c97fd9 over white; the bottom row is the same alpha over a checkerboard, so you can see what survives on a photo or a video.
Bottom row of hexes is the flattened result over white — use those when a design tool refuses transparency, or when you need a solid fallback.
rgba(201, 127, 217, 0.5) rgb(201 127 217 / 50%) #c97fd980 hsl(289 54% 68% / 50%) color-mix(in srgb, #c97fd9 50%, transparent)
| Alpha | 8-digit hex | Flat on white |
|---|---|---|
| 10% | #c97fd91a | #FAF2FB |
| 20% | #c97fd933 | #F4E5F7 |
| 40% | #c97fd966 | #E9CCF0 |
| 60% | #c97fd999 | #DFB2E8 |
| 80% | #c97fd9cc | #D499E1 |
Gradients from #c97fd9
Six recipes, each built from this hex and shown with the exact CSS that produced it.
background: linear-gradient(135deg, #DDAEE7, #c97fd9 45%, #561D62);
background: linear-gradient(120deg, #c97fd9, #D26895);
background: linear-gradient(90deg, #c97fd9, #8FD97F);
background: radial-gradient(120% 120% at 20% 0%, #E7C6EE 0%, #c97fd9 45%, #561D62 100%);
background: linear-gradient(180deg, #F9F4FA, #ffffff);
background: radial-gradient(60% 60% at 15% 20%, #B5A7E5 0%, transparent 60%), radial-gradient(55% 55% at 85% 15%, #E097C2 0%, transparent 60%), radial-gradient(70% 70% at 50% 95%, #561D62 0%, transparent 65%), #c97fd9;
Monochromatic scale
Palettes built from #c97fd9
Shades — darker
Tints — lighter
Tones — desaturated
Color harmonies
Nearest named colors
Ranked with CIEDE2000 across all 139 CSS keywords. Under ΔE 2 the eye stops telling them apart; over ΔE 10 they are plainly different colors.
Closest color with a full write-up: Orchid (#da70d6) — ΔE2000 4.4 away, with its history, psychology and brand usage.
#c97fd9 in the real world
Where a color in this family tends to land, and the interface roles it is usually asked to play.
Converts to four-color process without much drama. Proof it anyway.
Holds up across typical panel gamma. Still worth checking on an uncalibrated laptop, where mid-tones shift most.
Usable as-is on a dark surface at 7.52:1.
Explore nearby colors
Small, deliberate steps away from this hex — useful when you are hunting for the version of a colour that finally feels right.
#c97fd9, answered
What color is #c97fd9?
#c97fd9 is a light vivid violet, closest to Orchid (ΔE2000 4.4). It sits at 289° on the hue wheel with 54% saturation and 68% lightness, which reads as neutral.
What is the RGB value of #c97fd9?
rgb(201, 127, 217) — 201 red, 127 green and 217 blue out of 255, or 78.8% / 49.8% / 85.1% by channel.
What is #c97fd9 in HSL and HSV?
hsl(289, 54%, 68%) and hsv(289, 41%, 85%). HSL is what CSS takes; HSV is what your design tool's picker shows, which is why the saturation numbers rarely match.
Is #c97fd9 a light or a dark color?
It is a mid-tone. Relative luminance is 0.3261 and perceived brightness is 64%, so black text on it reaches 7.52:1.
Should I use black or white text on #c97fd9?
Black. It scores 7.52:1 against #c97fd9, versus 2.79:1 for white — AAA at any size.
Is #c97fd9 accessible on a white background?
#c97fd9 on white scores 2.79:1, which fails WCAG AA at every size. Darken it to #B248C9 to reach 4.5:1, or #882E9B for 7:1.
What is the complementary color of #c97fd9?
#8FD97F sits directly opposite on the wheel. Softer options are the split-complements #BCD97F and #7FD99C, which give the same contrast with far less vibration.
What colors go well with #c97fd9?
For interface work: #F9F4FA as the surface, #E4C0EC for borders, #8D4B9B for secondary text, #5DA12B as an accent and #561D62 for hover and pressed states. For a palette, the analogous pair #9C7FD9 and #D97FBC stays calm, while #8FD97F is the loudest partner.
What is #c97fd9 in CMYK for printing?
cmyk(7%, 42%, 0%, 15%). This is a screen-to-ink approximation — ask your printer for a proof before committing to a run.
Is #c97fd9 warm or cool?
Neutral — it scores 56 on a scale where 0 is the warmest orange and 100 the coolest azure. Nudged warmer it becomes #D97FC8; nudged cooler, #A87EDB.
Which Tailwind color is closest to #c97fd9?
The fuchsia family — its 500 step is #d946ef, ΔE2000 10.8 away. That is a visible difference, so define #c97fd9 as a custom token rather than reaching for the built-in.
How do I use #c97fd9 in Tailwind CSS?
Inline it as an arbitrary value with bg-[#c97fd9] or text-[#c97fd9], or register the whole ramp under theme.extend.colors.brand so you get bg-brand-500 and friends. The generated 50–950 scale on this page is ready to paste into your config.
What is #c97fd9 with 50% opacity?
rgba(201, 127, 217, 0.5), or #c97fd980 in eight-digit hex. Over white that composites to #E4BFEC; over black, #65406D.
Is #c97fd9 a web-safe color?
No. The nearest web-safe colour is #CC66CC, ΔE2000 5.9 away. The palette only matters for legacy displays and some email clients now.
What does the color #c97fd9 mean?
As a violet, it reads creative, premium, modern. Violet sits between the warmth of red and the calm of blue, so it reads as inventive without reading as risky. Current shorthand for software craft. At this chroma the effect is amplified — it will dominate whatever sits beside it.
What gradient works with #c97fd9?
The safest is same-hue elevation: linear-gradient(135deg, #DDAEE7, #c97fd9 45%, #561D62). For more colour, a short hue run to #D26895 keeps it rich without turning muddy.
Work with #c97fd9 in the Color Lab
Every tool opens with this colour already loaded.
Every value on this page is computed from #c97fd9 at request time — conversions, contrast ratios and ΔE distances are calculated, never looked up.