Here's a question – do you know what color these words describe: maroon, fuchsia, hazel, and ivory?
You probably learned simple colors like red, yellow, and blue in your first year of English… but the language has a lot more color words than these basic ones!
Today you'll learn 12 interesting vocabulary words for different colors.
One quick note: If you search online, you'll often find very long lists of color words – but many of these are NOT in used in everyday English. So you might see 50 terms for various shades of red – but please don't try to memorize all of those. Those hundreds of color words are typically used to describe different colors of paint, nail polish, or makeup, but they are not common in daily life.
The words I'll teach you today are some of the more common ones. Let's get started.
Maroon is a dark red color, like this:
And beige is an extremely light brown:
Turquoise is a color in between blue and green:
And teal is a darker version of it:
The noun ivory refers to the material of an elephant's tusks, and it also refers to their color – a slightly yellowish-white:
Lavender is a flower that has a nice smell, and it also describes the color – a light purple:
The color fuchsia is a bright color, somewhere between red and purple:
Amber is the name of a hardened substance that comes from trees – and also the color of yellow-brown.
Coral is a pink-orange-red color that is characteristic of the substance that grows under the sea.
This color is a dark brown with hints of red/orange. It is typically used to describe hair of this color.
Hazel is a golden-brown color that is typically used to describe eyes of this color.
Expanding your vocabulary is a great way to become more fluent in English – because when you know more words, you can express yourself better and say exactly what you want to say.
I created two great courses to help you improve your vocabulary – they're called the Vocabulary Builder Course Level 1 and Level 2. You'll learn and practice more than 1000 useful words in each level.
Level 1 is good for learning the basics, the essential English words we use to talk about everyday objects, activities, hobbies, and more. And Level 2 is more advanced – you'll learn words that will help you express more complex ideas.