The main difference between Teal and Cyan is brightness and saturation: both are cyan shades, but Cyan is lighter. Teal (#008080) is a dark, muted blue-green, while Cyan (#00FFFF) is the pure, maximum-bright blue-green primary of digital displays. Teal is half-brightness; cyan is full-brightness of the same hue.
Four real design scenarios, with the recommended pick based on hue, saturation, and WCAG contrast.
Teal is more saturated (100% HSL vs 100%) so it reads as bolder and more memorable at logo scale, while Cyan can feel washed out when printed small.
Teal hits a 4.77:1 WCAG contrast against white — safer for text-heavy interfaces — where Cyan only reaches 1.25:1 and risks failing AA at small body sizes.
Cyan is a cool-leaning tone that flatters spring/summer collections and warmer skin undertones, while Teal leans cooler and is better suited to autumn/winter layering.
Teal is the more muted of the two (100% saturation) and sits more calmly on large wall surfaces, while Cyan's higher chroma can overwhelm a room when used beyond accent pieces.
Teal (RGB 0,128,128) is a dark blue-green at L=25% — literally cyan cut exactly in half on every channel. It reads as sophisticated, oceanic, and Art-Deco.
Cyan (RGB 0,255,255) is the digital primary — maximum brightness on green and blue channels, zero red. It's one of the CMYK printing primaries and eye-piercingly bright onscreen.
Text legibility depends on the contrast ratio between foreground and background. WCAG 2.1 AA requires at least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text; AAA requires 7:1. Use these numbers to choose accessible combinations for your design.
Each color has a dedicated page with shades, tints, CSS name, pairings, and color psychology.