Check color contrast ratios for WCAG accessibility. Ensure AA and AAA compliance for text and backgrounds.
Check WCAG accessibility compliance
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AA (Minimum): Required for WCAG 2.0 Level AA compliance
AAA (Enhanced): Highest level of accessibility
Large Text: 18pt+ or 14pt+ bold (24px+ or 19px+ bold)
Ensure your website meets WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) standards with our Color Contrast Checker. This essential accessibility tool calculates the contrast ratio between text and background colors, helping you create designs that are readable for everyone, including users with visual impairments or color blindness. The tool checks compliance with WCAG 2.1 Level AA and AAA standards for both normal text and large text. A contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 is required for normal text (AA), while 7:1 is needed for AAA compliance. Large text (18pt+ or 14pt+ bold) has more lenient requirements of 3:1 (AA) and 4.5:1 (AAA). Simply input your foreground and background colors using hex codes, RGB, or the color picker, and instantly see whether your combination passes accessibility standards. Real-time previews show how text appears on the background. Visual pass/fail indicators for each WCAG level make it easy to understand compliance at a glance. Essential for web designers, developers, and anyone committed to creating inclusive, accessible digital experiences.
WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) are international standards for making web content accessible to people with disabilities. Following WCAG ensures your website is usable by people with visual impairments, and in many jurisdictions, accessibility is a legal requirement under laws like the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act).
WCAG Level AA is the standard most organizations aim for and is often legally required. It requires a 4.5:1 contrast ratio for normal text and 3:1 for large text. Level AAA is more stringent, requiring 7:1 for normal text and 4.5:1 for large text, providing enhanced accessibility for users with more severe visual impairments.
WCAG defines large text as 18 point (24px) or larger for regular weight, or 14 point (18.5px) or larger for bold text. Large text has lower contrast requirements because it's inherently more readable.
You have several options: (1) Darken the text color or lighten the background, (2) Use your brand colors for larger text where requirements are more lenient, (3) Use brand colors for non-text elements like borders and graphics, (4) Create accessible color variations specifically for text. Never sacrifice accessibility for branding.
While this tool checks contrast ratios which help with readability for all users including those with color blindness, it doesn't specifically simulate different types of color vision deficiency. For comprehensive color blindness testing, use dedicated color blindness simulators in addition to contrast checking.