Free tool

WCAG color contrast checker

Measure the contrast ratio between a text color and its background, and see whether it meets the WCAG 2.2 AA and AAA thresholds for normal and large text. Everything runs in your browser — the colors you type never leave this page.

Check a color pair

Enter a hex color such as #1A1A1A or #abc.

18.55 : 1 contrast ratio

Meets AA for normal text (≥ 4.5:1).

  • Normal text AA · needs 4.5:1 Pass
  • Normal text AAA · needs 7:1 Pass
  • Large text AA · needs 3:1 Pass
  • Large text AAA · needs 4.5:1 Pass

Preview

Large text sample

Normal text sample — the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

What AA and AAA mean

WCAG 2.2 sets minimum contrast ratios so text stays legible for people with low vision or reduced color perception. A higher ratio is easier to read.

  • Normal text AA ≥ 4.5:1 · AAA ≥ 7:1
  • Large text AA ≥ 3:1 · AAA ≥ 4.5:1

“Large” means at least 18.66px and bold, or at least 24px. Contrast is one WCAG success criterion (1.4.3 Contrast Minimum, 1.4.6 Enhanced) — it is one part of accessibility, not the whole of it. Pair it with keyboard testing, a screen-reader pass, and human review.

Checking one pair at a time? reala11y checks your whole site.

This tool handles a single color pair. The reala11y WordPress plugin runs the same contrast check (rule R003) across every post and page, points to the elements that fall short, and folds the results into its wider WCAG 2.2 scan. It helps you find low-contrast text — it does not replace manual review, and it makes no claim about your site’s legal status.