Last updated 28 August 2026
Reading a hex code without a picker
A hex colour is three pairs of digits — red, green and blue, each from 00 to FF. Once that clicks, a code stops being a random string and starts being readable: a high first pair with low others is a red, high red and green with low blue is a yellow, and three roughly equal pairs is a grey whose lightness you can read straight off the value. The trap this game sets is that the decoy swatches differ only slightly, so recognising the family is not enough — you have to judge how far along it the value sits. That is a genuinely useful skill when reading someone else's stylesheet, and it gets sharper with a surprisingly small amount of practice.
Common questions
How do I read a hex code?
It is three pairs: red, green, blue, each from 00 to FF. #FF0000 is pure red, #00FF00 pure green, #0000FF pure blue. Equal pairs make grey, and how high they are tells you how light that grey is.
Does it get harder as I go?
Yes. The decoy colours start noticeably different and move closer to the correct answer as your score rises, so later rounds require real discrimination rather than recognising the general family.
Is there a trick to getting better?
Read the first pair as how much red, the second as how much green, the third as how much blue, and compare pairs against each other rather than reading the code as a whole. Judging which pair is largest gets you the family; judging the gaps between them gets you the shade.
Is my score saved?
Your best score is stored in your own browser. Nothing is uploaded and there is no account.