Both sit between blue and green. Teal is the darker and more muted of the two — a deep blue-green. Turquoise is lighter and brighter, leaning blue with a green cast, named after the gemstone. If it looks bright and slightly tropical it is turquoise; if it looks deep and slightly dusty it is teal.
The core difference
Neighbouring colours on the blue-green range, separated by lightness and saturation.
- teal — dark, muted blue-green. Named after the duck, which has a stripe of that colour on its head.
- turquoise — lighter, brighter blue-green. Named after the gemstone.
Where the names come from
Teal is one of relatively few colours named after a bird. Turquoise comes from French pierre turquoise, "Turkish stone" — not because the stone came from Turkey, but because it reached Europe through Turkish trade routes.
Neighbours worth knowing
Cyan is a pure blue-green and one of the printing primaries. Aqua and aquamarine sit near turquoise but lighter. Petrol or petrol blue is close to teal and used more in British English.
Frequently asked questions
Which is darker, teal or turquoise?
Teal. It is the deeper and more muted of the two; turquoise is lighter and brighter.
Why is teal called teal?
After the teal duck, which has a band of that blue-green colour on its head.
Is cyan the same as turquoise?
No. Cyan is a pure blue-green and one of the printing primaries; turquoise is slightly softer and named after the gemstone.