Hue Test
Three rows of shuffled hues. Tap two tiles to swap them and rebuild each smooth gradient — the end anchors stay put, like the classic Farnsworth trays. Score when it looks right.
A color-perception game, not a medical test — it cannot screen for color vision deficiency.
Error score: 0 / 150 —
Trays: – · – · –
How the scoring works
Every tile has a home slot between the anchors. When you score, each tile is charged the number of slots it sits away from home — a tile two positions off costs 2, whatever is between it and home. The row totals add up to your error score out of 150 (three trays × 50 for a fully reversed row). Perfect is 0, a single adjacent swap costs 2, and random play averages around 100, so the ladder is unforgiving in a good way.
The tiers: 0 Perfect · 1–6 Elite · 7–15 Sharp · 16–30 Solid · 31–60 Warming up · 61+ Scrambled.
The hues themselves come from Oklab hue — the same perceptual color model this site's color mixer blends with — walked at constant lightness and chroma, so every step between neighbors is a genuinely even perceptual step, not just an even RGB step.
Why hue arrangement, and why this hurts (in a fun way)
Telling red from blue is easy; the eye's real resolution shows up in the in-between — deciding whether this olive sits before or after that chartreuse. That is exactly what capsule tests probe: the Farnsworth–Munsell 100 Hue Test has been the laboratory version of this exercise since the 1940s, and online versions (X-Rite's among them) run the same play. Designers use these tests to sanity-check calibrated eyes; everyone else uses them to argue about who sees color best.
One honest caveat belongs in bold: this is a game, not a diagnostic. Screen settings, room lighting and patience all move your score. If you need a real color vision assessment, that is an optometrist's office, not a web page.
Ready for calmer colors? The mixer blends any two (or five) colors in perceptual space, the converter translates a color between HEX, RGB, HSL and CMYK, and the color mixing chart shows all 25 pairs at once.
Frequently asked questions
What is a hue test?
A hue test measures how finely you can tell neighboring colors apart. You get a set of similar swatches in random order and arrange them into the smoothest possible gradient — first a yellow-green into a green, then that green into a teal. Your arrangement is scored by how far each swatch sat from its home slot, which is why the test is about small hue steps, not naming colors.
Is this the Farnsworth–Munsell 100 Hue Test?
It is a web mini-tribute to it. The original Farnsworth–Munsell 100 Hue Test is the lab standard: 85 colored caps in four trays, graded with a Total Error Score, used in vision research and vocations where color judgment matters. This page keeps the idea — fixed end anchors, shuffled middle caps, an error score — with 33 hues in three trays you can play anywhere, in your browser, for free.
Is this a color blindness test?
No. It is a fun color-perception challenge, not a medical screening — it cannot diagnose color vision deficiency or anything else. If you suspect a color vision problem, or need a certified test for work, see an optometrist. Think of this as the color-nerd version of a brain teaser.
What is a good score?
Zero is perfect: every tile in its home slot. Scoring is strict — each single adjacent swap costs 2 points, out of a 150 maximum. Most careful players land between 10 and 30; a purely random arrangement averages around 100. The tier under your score tells you where you stand.
Does my screen or lighting matter?
Quite a bit. Night mode, blue-light filters, aggressive screen dimming and dark rooms all compress the differences between neighboring hues. For your best attempt, use a normally lit room and your usual display settings — and compare results only from the same device, since screens shift hues differently.
Is it free? Do I need an account?
Free, no account, no download — everything runs in your browser. When you are done sorting hues, the color mixer and converter on this site use the same perceptual (Oklab) color math.