The main difference between Teal and Turquoise is hue — Teal is a cool cyan, while Turquoise is a cool-leaning teal. Teal (#008080) is a deep, muted blue-green named after the Eurasian teal duck, while Turquoise (#40E0D0) is a brighter, lighter blue-green named after the gemstone. Teal feels sophisticated and calm; turquoise feels tropical and playful.
Four real design scenarios, with the recommended pick based on hue, saturation, and WCAG contrast.
Teal is more saturated (100% HSL vs 72%) so it reads as bolder and more memorable at logo scale, while Turquoise can feel washed out when printed small.
Teal hits a 4.77:1 WCAG contrast against white — safer for text-heavy interfaces — where Turquoise only reaches 1.64:1 and risks failing AA at small body sizes.
Turquoise 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.
Turquoise is the more muted of the two (72% saturation) and sits more calmly on large wall surfaces, while Teal's higher chroma can overwhelm a room when used beyond accent pieces.
Teal is an equal-parts blue-and-green color at half intensity (RGB 0,128,128) that's been a CSS named color since the first HTML spec. Named after the dark stripe around the eye of the teal duck, it reads as serious, professional, and dark-mode friendly.
Turquoise is a lighter, more vibrant blue-green (RGB 64,224,208) named after the Turkish-imported gemstone prized in Persian, Egyptian, and Native American jewelry. It reads as tropical, energetic, and summery.
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.