Talk:Black

Is Black technically a colour?
How can Black be considered a colour if it is the complete absence of light? I was taught in school that Black is not a colour as it does not reflect any wavelength of light. I suppose it all comes down to the definition of the word "Colour/Color". --212.159.114.107 (talk) 22:09, 3 February 2019 (UTC)


 * Colour/Color? That's variations of English, not two diffrent words. סשס Grimmchild.  He/him, probably  12:12, 27 November 2022 (UTC)

Black is not a color. The premise of this entire article is wrong. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Alec935 (talk • contribs) 07:38, 19 December 2019 (UTC)

What color are your shoes? What color is the night sky? in common usage, of course black is a color, like white and gray. Please look in a dictionary. Cordially, SiefkinDR (talk) 12:29, 19 December 2019 (UTC)

In Art, black is a medium. Devoid of light. It is not a colour. My art teacher told me that in 1984. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.152.117.119 (talk) 06:57, 3 May 2020 (UTC)


 * nobody cares about your washed out elementary school art teacher 173.31.95.118 (talk) 21:30, 23 June 2022 (UTC)
 * WP:SISTERMARYCATHERINE. Your teacher is not reliable. סשס Grimmchild.  He/him, probably  18:47, 12 November 2022 (UTC)

Because it absorbs light Aly14328 (talk) 23:07, 15 February 2021 (UTC)

Yes it can Aly14328 (talk) 23:07, 15 February 2021 (UTC)

Black is a color. A color is a perception of our brain, not an entirely physical fenomenon. Light and its different wavelengths are just part of what makes a color. That's why magenta, black, white, grey, brown, and other wrongly called "non-existent colors" are, actually, colors. 8-leaf clover (talk) 18:02, 26 November 2022 (UTC)

It's also important to remember that black is not the absence of color (because it is a color), black is the color produced by the perception of the absence of light. 8-leaf clover (talk) 18:13, 26 November 2022 (UTC)

Those pointing out that black is not a color are from a scientific point of view correct; it is a well-known fact in Physics that black is indeed not a color; I quote:

"''Black and White are NOT colors

● ''In Physics, black and white are not considered as colors. As both black and white don’t have any specific wavelength, they cannot be considered as colors. White is the combination of all wavelengths of visible light, while black is the absence of visible light. In physics, color is nothing but a wavelength of visible light. Thus, black and white are not colors.''

● ''Black is like the absence of colors and white is the combination of all the colors of the visible spectrum. The image shown below is a prism. When white light passes through it, it disperses into lights of the colors of the rainbow, which goes on to prove that white light is made of different wavelengths. Thus, if you ask a scientist if black and white are colors, the answer will be no."

Links: https://sciencestruck.com/are-black-white-considered-as-colors

https://education.seattlepi.com/not-list-black-white-colors-physics-3426.html

So, as explained above; scientifically speaking, black is the very "opposite" of a color as it does not have a wavelength and lacks light. Just because it can be seen in a night sky, as someone above stated, does not make it a color. Neither is white considered a color as it does not constitute a specific wavelength, although it differs from black in that it instead constitutes the combination of all the wavelengths instead of the lack of them.

Emotionally and for the sake of simplicity one can of course consider black a color, but not scientifically.

Okama-San (talk) 00:11, 6 March 2023 (UTC)


 * The broad term "black" is used in a variety of contexts, as you indicate, including scientifically. I'm not sure what improvement could be suggested here, as the article treats all the contexts in comprehensive detail.  signed, Willondon (talk)  19:06, 6 March 2023 (UTC)
 * Physics can't define the word "color". In physics, you can talk about wavelengths, but, strictly speaking, not about colors. Color is a psychological construct, that is just partially based on physics. The colors that can be produced by a single wavelength are called "spectral colors". In colorimetry, a color is any point in a color space, such as CIE L*a*b* human eye gamut, and that includes black, gray, white, magenta, pink, brown, cream, etc. (the ones that aren't visible for humans (outside the visible spectrum) can also be called "colors"). Black is not the absence of color, because it is one; it's the color evoked by the absence of light. 8-leaf clover (talk) 12:51, 27 March 2023 (UTC)
 * You are probably aware of the notion of focal colors, the "best examples" of named colors, addressed in this paper, along with the related concept of unique hues. Test subjects in this and other studies choose color chips to represent given colors with remarkable consistency, no matter what language is used. (This study included speakers of 20 languages.)
 * From the paper: "Eleven basic color terms (purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, red, pink, brown, white, gray, black) [emphasis mine] are known to be prevalent among various languages. These basic colors are general and salient."
 * You may also be aware that languages with only three color names overwhelmingly name white, black, and red. Languages with more named colors follow a consistent pattern. From that observation came studies of perception and cognition, and on we go... Just plain Bill (talk) 13:37, 27 March 2023 (UTC)

"Ultimately dark" listed at Redirects for discussion
A discussion is taking place to address the redirect Ultimately dark. The discussion will occur at Redirects for discussion/Log/2021 August 29 until a consensus is reached, and readers of this page are welcome to contribute to the discussion. aeschylus (talk) 22:18, 29 August 2021 (UTC)

Black and white
Not color, shade/tint. 107.115.203.26 (talk) 23:08, 23 October 2022 (UTC)


 * It's a colour. What would the difference be anyway? סשס Grimmchild.  He/him, probably  18:48, 12 November 2022 (UTC)
 * @Grimmchild 197.211.63.70 (talk) 20:53, 23 March 2023 (UTC)
 * What is it? Grimmchild, Talk 17:31, 26 March 2023 (UTC)