Funny color names in english range from the plain sounding burnt sienna and canary to the playful macaroni and cheese and tickle me pink. Many began as names for food, drink or plants, and the oddest ones survive because they are easy to picture, so a list works best beside the object that gave each shade its name.
funny color names in english at a glance
- Funny color names are real colour words with unusual, often food- or plant-based origins.
- Examples include burnt sienna, canary, chartreuse, periwinkle and macaroni and cheese.
- Many appear in art, design and paint catalogues rather than in everyday speech.
- Some are written as multi-word phrases, such as tickle me pink.
- The commonest mistake is treating a funny name as a joke rather than a fixed colour term.
What are funny color names?
A funny colour name is a real colour word with an odd or surprising sound, usually because it borrows the name of a food, a drink, a plant or an animal. The label is informal, but the colour itself is standard, so painters, designers and printers use the same words. A related set of descriptive words sits in color adjectives.
| Name | What it looks like | Why it sounds funny |
|---|---|---|
| burnt sienna | a warm reddish brown | it sounds like something scorched |
| chartreuse | a bright yellow-green | it sounds like a medicine |
| canary | a bright, cheerful yellow | it borrows a bird’s name |
| periwinkle | a soft blue-violet | it borrows a flower’s name |
| tickle me pink | a strong, bright pink | it is a whole playful sentence |
| macaroni and cheese | a warm orange-yellow | it names a favourite dish |
| inchworm | a light yellow-green | it names a wriggling caterpillar |
| jazzberry jam | a deep crimson | it sounds like a music act |
One honest limit sits beside the label. Funny is in the ear of the listener, so a name that sounds silly to one reader may sound ordinary to a gardener or a chef. The word also says nothing about the exact shade, because chartreuse covers a range of greens and two catalogues may print it differently.
A second useful split is by the source of the name. Food names such as macaroni and cheese and jazzberry jam are vivid and easy to picture, plant names such as periwinkle and canary feel gentle, and phrase names such as tickle me pink are playful. Naming the source beside the colour, as in a food-based colour name such as macaroni and cheese, gives the clearest picture in the fewest words.
How do you use a colour name in a sentence?
Most sentences name a colour, describe a tone or introduce an odd term, and each frame follows a short, repeatable pattern.
| Pattern | Example | What it signals |
|---|---|---|
| the + thing + is + colour | The wall is painted burnt sienna. | naming a colour |
| a + colour + shade | A chartreuse shade brightened the logo. | describing a tone |
| painted in + colour | The door was painted in tickle me pink. | a paint choice |
| a colour called + name | They chose a colour called jazzberry jam. | introducing an odd name |
| colour + such as + name | Warm colours such as canary lift a room. | giving an example |
Funny color names in english: examples across contexts
The same odd names move from a classroom to a paint catalogue and a design brief, and each setting asks for a different sentence. A playful side appears in funny in a sentence.
| Context | Example sentence | Why this works |
|---|---|---|
| Classroom | Match each funny name to the shade it describes. | a sorting task |
| Art lesson | A wash of periwinkle softened the sky. | an art note |
| Paint catalogue | Burnt sienna is a warm brown for woodwork. | a product note |
| Design brief | Use a chartreuse accent on the poster. | an instruction |
| Storybook | The door was tickle me pink and very cheerful. | a simple scene |
| Conversation | What colour would you call that? | an everyday question |
| Children’s book | The inchworm was a bright yellow-green. | a simple image |
| Menu | The macaroni and cheese sign used a matching orange. | a themed dish |
| Fashion note | Jazzberry jam lipstick suits the autumn range. | a trend note |
| Exam answer | Chartreuse is a colour between yellow and green. | a formal definition |
Which funny color name should you use?
Match the name to the mood you want rather than to how strange it sounds, because each shade carries a different feeling.
| Situation | Pick | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Want a warm brown | burnt sienna | It suits wood and autumn themes. |
| Want a bright green | chartreuse | It grabs attention on a poster. |
| Want a soft blue | periwinkle | It feels calm and gentle. |
| Want a playful pink | tickle me pink | It suits a child’s room. |
| Want a food name | macaroni and cheese | It adds humour to a menu. |
Burnt sienna is the safest name for a warm, natural look, while tickle me pink is the one to choose when the room should feel playful, so pick the mood first and the name second.
Word forms and grammar of colour names
The word colour is a noun and a verb, and the adjectives colourful and coloured sit beside it. A whole set of matching terms appears in color scheme in a sentence, and a weather phrase sits in change color in a sentence, while another playful phrase appears in funny bone in a sentence.
| Form | Part of speech | Example |
|---|---|---|
| color | noun | The colour of the wall is warm. |
| color | verb | She coloured the drawing blue. |
| colorful | adjective | The poster is colourful and bold. |
| shade | noun | This shade of green is soft. |
| hue | noun | The hue shifts in the light. |
| tint | noun | A pale tint covered the glass. |
| paint | verb | They painted the door pink. |
Common mistakes with funny color names
Mistake 1: the spelling of colourful. Incorrect: The room is very colorfull. Correct: The room is very colourful. Rule: colourful takes one l at the end, not two.
Mistake 2: the spelling of chartreuse. Incorrect: The shirt is chartruese. Correct: The shirt is chartreuse. Rule: chartreuse keeps e-a-u in the middle of the word.
Mistake 3: capitalising a colour name. Incorrect: I painted the wall Chartreuse. Correct: I painted the wall chartreuse. Rule: colour names are lowercase in general writing.
Mistake 4: calling a colour name a brand. Incorrect: Periwinkle is only a brand name. Correct: Periwinkle is a general colour name. Rule: most funny names are ordinary words, not brand names.
Mistake 5: periwinkle as one thing. Incorrect: Periwinkle is only a colour. Correct: Periwinkle is both a plant and a colour. Rule: some colour names double as plant or animal names.
Practice using funny color names in english
- Fill in the blank: ___ is a bright yellow-green colour.
- Choose the better word: (Tickle me pink / Burnt sienna) is a warm brown.
- Correct the error: The shirt is chartruese.
- Build a sentence: use painted in to describe an odd colour choice.
- Spot the register: which line suits a paint catalogue, (a) That colour’s dead funny looking, or (b) Burnt sienna is a warm brown for woodwork?
- Fill in the blank: A soft blue-violet colour is called ___.
Answers
- Chartreuse, because chartreuse is a bright yellow-green.
- burnt sienna, because burnt sienna is a warm reddish brown.
- The shirt is chartreuse; the word keeps e-a-u in the middle.
- The garden gate was painted in a bright tickle me pink.
- (b), because a paint catalogue uses precise, factual wording.
- periwinkle, because periwinkle is a soft blue-violet.
The bottom line
Funny color names in english are ordinary colour words that borrow the names of food, drink, plants and animals, so chartreuse and periwinkle are as standard as blue or green. Keep colour names lowercase, spell chartreuse with e-a-u, and remember that periwinkle is both a plant and a shade. Pairing each odd name with its source is the fastest way to remember the list.
Frequently asked questions about funny color names
What are some funny color names?
Well-known examples include burnt sienna, chartreuse, canary, periwinkle, inchworm, jazzberry jam, macaroni and cheese, and tickle me pink. Each one is a real colour word, and most appear in paint charts and design guides as well as in jokes, so the full list is longer than it first seems.
Why do some colours have funny names?
Many colours are named after familiar things such as food, drink, plants and animals, because a shared object is easier to picture than a number. The name also fixes a rough shade in the reader’s mind, so the odd word does real work in a catalogue.
Is chartreuse green or yellow?
Chartreuse sits between green and yellow, and most people describe it as a bright yellow-green. The exact shade moves toward green or yellow depending on the maker, so two charts may print chartreuse a little differently, and either label is fair.
Are funny color names real colour terms?
Yes. Names such as burnt sienna and periwinkle are standard in art, design and printing, and they appear beside ordinary colours on paint charts. The humorous sound does not make them any less real, so use them with confidence in any design work.
