What color is #9978B4?

#9978B4 is a medium, muted violet. In RGB it is rgb(153, 120, 180), and in HSL hsl(273, 29%, 59%).

Is #9978B4 accessible as text?

On white, #9978B4 has a contrast ratio of 3.68:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 5.70:1 (passes). For text placed on #9978B4, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #9978B4?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is mauve-500 (#79697B).

What colors go well with #9978B4?

#9978B4 pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #93B578. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #9978B4 below.

Is #9978B4 good for buttons?

#9978B4 works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #9978B4 — white text only reaches 3.68:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #9978B4 the same as CSS mediumpurple?

No — #9978B4 is not the CSS named color mediumpurple, but mediumpurple (#9370DB) is the closest CSS named color.

#9978B4 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #9978B4

Not just a swatch — here's how #9978B4 works with other colors. Named schemes with #9978B4 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #9978B4 Accent #A5C4C4 Surface #E9D6BF Secondary #9AA0A1 Anchor #23334B

Amethyst opens this coastal palette with sea-glass and warm sand alongside it, grounded by driftwood grey and a deep-navy anchor.

Berry & Cream Lead · 5 colors

Lead #9978B4 Surface #F5E6D7 Anchor #5C213F Accent #E5C2C7 Secondary #332B2F

Amethyst sits between cream and a deep berry here, softened by a blush accent and grounded by charcoal.

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #9978B4 Surface #F1E8DC Highlight #F8F0E7 Secondary #BDADA1 Ink #2C2723

Amethyst sets a calm, sun-bleached base here, wrapped in bone and paper off-whites and a soft greige, with a single ink accent for wabi-sabi restraint.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F8F4EF Accent #9978B4 Secondary #B9AEC4 Support #9C9088 Ink #18140F

Amethyst is the single accent in this high-contrast editorial system — set on near-white paper against near-black ink, with a warm grey and a desaturated tint of Amethyst carrying the quiet middle.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #9978B4 Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5C6573 Accent #BD9ED7

Amethyst is the vivid signal in this product UI — on a near-black surface with cool white, a slate grey and a lighter tint of Amethyst.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #9978B4 actually behaves in design work — read from its OKLCH lightness, chroma and hue, not just its raw numbers. Ten signals to help you decide where this color earns its place.

Warmth 45/100

Neutral

Balanced temperature — flexible, sits between warm and cool schemes.

Softness 53/100

Moderate

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 37/100

Low

Mid depth — usable as an accent or a muted ground.

Naturalness 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 65/100

High

Faded, nostalgic quality — editorial, heritage and retro work.

Luxury 45/100

Moderate

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 37/100

Low

Recognisable but shares space with nearby hues.

UI accent fit 78/100

High

Strong interactive accent — visible and can carry a legible label.

Surface fit 36/100

Low

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 89/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #9978B4

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #9978B4 with

Cool Gray Puce Dark Sea Green Gainsboro Onyx

UI roles & guardrails

Primary action Safe as a filled button with near-black label. AA

Body text Do not use for body copy on light surfaces. Avoid

Large display Fine for headings 24px+ on white. Pass

Background Pair with #141310 text at 5.0:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #EBE6EE for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #AE78B5 — the hue gap is too small to read as intentional. Clash

In real applications

Not a swatch to memorise — a color to build with. Here is #9978B4 at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

Northwind Sign up

Build faster.

A working theme, generated in seconds.

Dashboard

Revenue

$48.2k ▲ 12%

Brand

AVELINE

Studio

Poster

Nov 14 · 8PM

NIGHT
MARKET

Packaging

BLOOM

Botanical Wash

250 ml

Interior

Every model

Export

:root {
  --color-base: #9978B4;
  --color-base-rgb: 153 120 180;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(62.7% 0.095 309.0);
  --color-50: #F8F5FA;
  --color-100: #EBE4F1;
  --color-200: #D7CAE2;
  --color-300: #B9A5CA;
  --color-400: #9B81B1;
  --color-500: #7D6194;
  --color-600: #634F73;
  --color-700: #493C53;
  --color-800: #312937;
  --color-900: #1F1B23;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  amethyst: {
    50: '#F8F5FA',
    100: '#EBE4F1',
    200: '#D7CAE2',
    300: '#B9A5CA',
    400: '#9B81B1',
    500: '#7D6194',
    600: '#634F73',
    700: '#493C53',
    800: '#312937',
    900: '#1F1B23',
  },
}

$base: #9978B4;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F8F5FA;
$base-100: #EBE4F1;
$base-200: #D7CAE2;
$base-300: #B9A5CA;
$base-400: #9B81B1;
$base-500: #7D6194;
$base-600: #634F73;
$base-700: #493C53;
$base-800: #312937;
$base-900: #1F1B23;
$base-hover: #7C559B;
$base-subtle: #E0D9E7;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#9978B4",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F8F5FA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#EBE4F1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#D7CAE2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#B9A5CA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#9B81B1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#7D6194",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#634F73",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#493C53",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#312937",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1F1B23",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}