Contrast Check: #888888 on #1A1A1A

Mid gray (#888888) on Near-black (#1A1A1A) — 4.91:1, passes AA normal + AAA large.

At a glance

Contrast ratio
4.91:1
WCAG AA (normal text)
Pass
WCAG AA (large text)
Pass
WCAG AAA (normal text)
Fail
UI components / non-text
Pass

Mid gray text on a near-black background is one of the most frequently checked combinations in web design. The measured WCAG 2.1 contrast ratio is 4.91:1. It passes WCAG AA for body text but falls short of AAA. Borderline AA in dark mode — a common dark-theme footer color that may fail audits.

Frequently asked questions

Is #888888 on #1A1A1A accessible?
For WCAG 2.1 AA — the most common conformance target — the answer is yes for normal-size body text. Normal text needs 4.5:1 and this combination measures 4.91:1. Large text (18pt+ or 14pt+ bold) needs only 3:1, so this combination passes for headings and large UI labels. AAA conformance demands 7:1; this combination falls short of that bar.
Where is this combination commonly used?
Footer text, captions, secondary labels in dark themes.
How is this ratio calculated?
WCAG 2.1 contrast ratio is (L1 + 0.05) / (L2 + 0.05) where L1 and L2 are the relative luminances of the lighter and darker colors. Each channel is gamma-corrected (linearized) before applying coefficients 0.2126·R + 0.7152·G + 0.0722·B. The two formulas weight green most because the human eye is most sensitive to green wavelengths.
What if I need a higher ratio than 4.91:1?
Adjust either the foreground or background lightness in the calculator above. The Suggestions panel automatically computes the nearest passing color in each direction (lighter or darker) for AA and AAA targets.

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