Light Blue vs Thistle — Difference, Contrast & Harmony

Light Bluenearest vs Thistlenearest

#B9D5CB · #CDCAE2

Four independent scores (read the one that fits your goal): Readability 0/100 (fail) · Harmony 43/100 (clashing) · Distinguishable 16/100 (hard to tell apart) · Match 53/100 (different). There is no single “good/bad” — a pair can clash for text yet be great for an outfit.

Readability0Fail

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

Fail1.0:1

Harmony43Clashing

Clashing

89° apart

Distinguishable16Hard to tell apart

normal

deuteranopia

ΔE 21 (4.1 under CVD)

Match53Different

ΔE 21 — different

How different are Light Blue and Thistle?

Light Blue and Thistle are a clear pair (ΔE 21). They have distinctly different hues (89° apart) and their lightness is similar, so they read as two same-weight colours.

Can you read one on the other?

Light Blue text on Thistle: 1.02:1 (Fail); Thistle text on Light Blue: 1.02:1 (Fail). Neither meets AA at body size — nudging one color to #445C54 clears it.

Common questions

Do Light Blue and Thistle go well together?

Clashing — awkward hue gap — tends to clash (harmony 43/100). This is about how they look together (clothing, interiors, branding), independent of text contrast.

Is Light Blue readable as text on Thistle?

Not at body size — the best direction is only 1.0:1, below the 4.5:1 minimum. Nudging one colour to #445C54 clears AA.

What is the colour difference (ΔE) between Light Blue and Thistle?

Their CIE76 ΔE is about 21 — a clear pair.

Are Light Blue and Thistle the same colour?

clearly different colours (ΔE 21).

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