Off White vs White — Difference, Contrast & Harmony

Off Whitenearest vs Whiteexact

#F5F9F2 · #FFFFFF

Four independent scores (read the one that fits your goal): Readability 1/100 (fail) · Harmony 56/100 (triadic (soft)) · Distinguishable 13/100 (hard to tell apart) · Match 90/100 (near match). There is no single “good/bad” — a pair can clash for text yet be great for an outfit.

Readability1Fail

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

Fail1.1:1

Harmony56Triadic (soft)

Triadic (soft)

94° apart

Distinguishable13Hard to tell apart

normal

protanopia

ΔE 4.6 (3.2 under CVD)

Match90Near match

ΔE 4.6 — near match

How different are Off White and White?

Off White and White are very close (ΔE 5). They have distinctly different hues (94° apart) and their lightness is similar, so they read as two same-weight colours.

Can you read one on the other?

Off White text on White: 1.07:1 (Fail); White text on Off White: 1.07:1 (Fail). Neither meets AA at body size — nudging one color to #747771 clears it.

Common questions

Do Off White and White go well together?

Triadic (soft) — workable but not a textbook harmony (harmony 56/100). This is about how they look together (clothing, interiors, branding), independent of text contrast.

Is Off White readable as text on White?

Not at body size — the best direction is only 1.1:1, below the 4.5:1 minimum. Nudging one colour to #747771 clears AA.

What is the colour difference (ΔE) between Off White and White?

Their CIE76 ΔE is about 5 — very close.

Are Off White and White the same colour?

a very near match (ΔE 4.6) — fine for most matching.

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