How Do Black and Dark Gray Text Differ? How to Use Them in Website Body Copy

Should website articles use black text or dark gray text? Black creates the greatest light–dark difference against a white background, while dark gray reduces that contrast slightly but can still provide plenty of separation for reading. Dark gray is not automatically easier to read, however. To compare the two, consider a long-form interview with a local artist on a culture website. We will assign colors to its headings, paragraphs, captions, and quoted passages.

The main difference is contrast with the background

Black ■#000000 on white ■#FFFFFF has a contrast ratio of 21.00:1. A contrast ratio measures the difference in relative luminance between foreground and background; a higher number indicates a larger difference. Dark gray ■#333333 on white ■#FFFFFF gives approximately 12.63:1. The contrast is lower, but both pairs are well above the 4.5:1 threshold for normal-sized text.

Using black for a heading and dark gray for the paragraphs below can create a subtle visual hierarchy. But it would be misleading to claim that black always causes eye strain or that dark gray always makes long articles more comfortable to read. Font weight, size, line spacing, and the surrounding layout all matter. A design can also work with the colors assigned the other way around.

Compare headings, paragraphs, and captions in an interview article

Imagine a culture magazine publishing an in-depth interview with a local artist. The main article appears on white ■#FFFFFF, while a highlighted quotation sits on a pale gray ■#F4F5F6 panel. A HEX code describes a web color in hexadecimal notation. We can compare the same text colors on both backgrounds without changing the underlying content.

Use black ■#000000 for the article title and dark gray ■#333333 for the interview questions and answers. Their contrast ratios against white ■#FFFFFF are 21.00:1 and approximately 12.63:1. Give the heading a distinct size or weight as well; there is no reason to make paragraph text unusually pale simply to establish hierarchy.

On a quote panel with a pale gray background ■#F4F5F6, dark gray text ■#333333 still provides approximately 11.57:1. Rather than introducing an unrelated hue, use the panel background, spacing, and quotation marks to set the passage apart. For the interview date and image captions, supporting gray ■#585858 gives about 7.11:1 against white ■#FFFFFF and 6.52:1 against the pale quote panel ■#F4F5F6.

If the text is lightened to ■#777777, however, contrast falls to approximately 4.48:1 against white ■#FFFFFF and 4.10:1 against pale gray ■#F4F5F6. Both pairs are below the 4.5:1 minimum for normal text. Do not fade the interview date or a small image caption just because it is less prominent than the main story.

Choose text colors together with backgrounds, size, and purpose

Begin by identifying the actual background behind the article and choosing a consistent color for paragraphs. Then decide which headings or supporting text need a separate role, and adjust only as much as necessary. Where links appear in body copy, provide recognizable cues such as underlining rather than relying on a slight color change alone.

Under WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) 2.2 Level AA, normal text needs a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 against its background, and qualifying large text needs at least 3:1. A calculated value that falls just below the requirement cannot be rounded up to claim conformance. Thin fonts and small-screen rendering should also be checked in the actual page, not only through the calculated ratio.

HueRoll lets you inspect the contrast of a selected color against white or black, but it does not directly compare two arbitrary colors such as a custom light gray background and dark text, or automatically determine AA or AAA conformance. Check those specific foreground/background pairs with another method. The ratios in this article are calculated for opaque, solid colors and do not guarantee the readability of an entire page.