In English, colours are adjectives. They come before the noun: a red car, a blue bag. British spelling: colour. American spelling: color.

red
/red/
blue
/bluː/
yellow
/ˈjel.əʊ/
green
/ɡriːn/
orange
/ˈɒr.ɪndʒ/
purple
/ˈpɜː.pəl/
pink
/pɪŋk/
brown
/braʊn/
black
/blæk/
white
/waɪt/
grey
/ɡreɪ/
beige
/beɪʒ/

Light & dark shades

light blue
/laɪt bluː/
dark blue
/dɑːk bluː/
light green
/laɪt ɡriːn/
dark green
/dɑːk ɡriːn/
Colour = adjective: Colours don't change for gender in English: a red car, a red bag (NOT "roja"). They also don't change for plural: two red cars (NOT "reds").

More colours

More colours you'll see in real life — clothes, nature, everyday objects.

Blues

navy blue
/ˈneɪ.vi bluː/
royal blue
/ˈrɔɪ.əl bluː/
French blue
/frentʃ bluː/
sky blue
/skaɪ bluː/
turquoise
/ˈtɜː.kwɔɪz/
teal
/tiːl/
indigo
/ˈɪn.dɪ.ɡəʊ/
cyan
/ˈsaɪ.ən/

Greens

jade
/dʒeɪd/
emerald
/ˈem.ər.əld/
olive
/ˈɒl.ɪv/
mint
/mɪnt/
lime
/laɪm/

Reds & pinks

salmon
/ˈsæm.ən/
coral
/ˈkɒr.əl/
crimson
/ˈkrɪm.zən/
scarlet
/ˈskɑː.lət/
maroon
/məˈruːn/
burgundy
/ˈbɜː.ɡən.di/

Purples & magentas

fuchsia
/ˈfjuː.ʃə/
magenta
/məˈdʒen.tə/
violet
/ˈvaɪ.ə.lət/
lavender
/ˈlæv.ən.dər/
lilac
/ˈlaɪ.lək/
plum
/plʌm/
mauve
/məʊv/

Yellows & oranges

mustard
/ˈmʌs.təd/
amber
/ˈæm.bər/
gold
/ɡəʊld/
peach
/piːtʃ/
apricot
/ˈeɪ.prɪ.kɒt/
khaki
/ˈkɑː.ki/

Neutrals & metallics

ivory
/ˈaɪ.vər.i/
cream
/kriːm/
tan
/tæn/
charcoal
/ˈtʃɑː.kəʊl/
silver
/ˈsɪl.vər/
bronze
/brɒnz/

Exercise — What colour?

Write the English colour.

1.What colour is this?
2.What colour is this?
3.What colour is this?

4. In British English, how do you spell it?