Difference between 'violet' and 'purple' | violet purple
![Difference between 'violet' and 'purple'](https://i.imgur.com/axBPWDg.jpg)
Tip:SeemylistoftheMostCommonMistakesinEnglish[1].Itwillteachyouhowtoavoidmistakeswithcommas,prepositions,irregularverbs,andmuchmore.Peoplesaythatapictureisworthathousandwords,solet’stakealookatthetwocoloursincomparison(therearevariousshadesofpurpleandviolet,andthefollowingpictureshowssomeofthemorecommonones):So,purpleismorereddishandsaturated,whilevioletismorebluishandlesssaturated.Caseclosed,right?Thereismoreinitthantheeyescansee(quiteliterally).Tounderstandthedifference,wehavetotak...
![Difference between 'violet' and 'purple'](http://pix4.agoda.net/hotelimages/4172139/0/24097f8fc1c9959ea5062e8d6497eaad.jpg?s=800x)
Tip: See my list of the Most Common Mistakes in English[1]. It will teach you how to avoid mistakes with commas, prepositions, irregular verbs, and much more.
People say that a picture is worth a thousand words, so let’s take a look at the two colours in comparison (there are various shades of purple and violet, and the following picture shows some of the more common ones):
So, purple is more reddish and saturated, while violet is more bluish and less saturated. Case closed, right?
There is more in it than the eyes can see (quite literally). To understand the difference, we have to take a look at how our eyes work first. The electromagnetic spectrum is a continuous range of wavelengths, only a tiny part of which is visible to humans:
We see neither the ultraviolet wavelengths and shorter, nor the infrared wavelengths and longer. How do we see the rest? We have three types of colour-sensitive cells in our eyes, s...