The 5 Shocking Contenders For The Longest Color Name In The World (The Real Winner Has 189,819 Letters)

The quest for the longest color name is not a simple one, as the answer depends entirely on what you define as a "name." As of December 10, 2025, the true, undisputed champion is a name so long it takes over three hours to pronounce, while the longest color name you'll find in a crayon box is a delightful 30-character mouthful. This article breaks down the contenders across four major categories—from standardized systems and luxury paints to the world of chemistry—to reveal the surprising, multi-layered truth behind the most verbose hue in the spectrum. The length of a color name often reflects the complexity of its origin, whether it’s a detailed chemical composition, a historical reference, or a descriptive marketing phrase designed to evoke a specific feeling. We’ve analyzed the most recent data from scientific journals, art history archives, and major paint manufacturers to deliver the definitive list of the longest color names ever recorded.

The Definitive List of Longest Color Names by Category

The single, most important factor in determining the "longest color name" is the distinction between a common, descriptive name and a technical, scientific name. The following list ranks the winners from the most common categories to the ultimate, scientific heavyweight.

1. The Scientific Heavyweight: The Name of a Colored Protein (189,819 Letters)

If we accept the scientific name of a colored chemical compound as a "color name," then the winner is so overwhelmingly long that it dwarfs all other contenders. * The Name: The IUPAC (International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry) name for the protein Titin. * Character Count: 189,819 letters. * The Color Connection: Titin is the largest known protein, and while its name describes its chemical structure, many proteins are colored. For instance, hemoglobin is red, and chlorophyll is green. Although Titin's pure color is not widely standardized, it represents the absolute peak of chemical nomenclature length for any colored substance. The full name begins with "methionyl..." and is a single, unhyphenated word. * Topical Authority Entity: Titin is crucial for muscle elasticity and is encoded by the *TTN* gene. The name is often cited as the longest word in the English language, though its status as a single "word" is debated.

2. The Pigment and Dye Champion: The Technical Compound Name (37 Characters)

Moving into the realm of actual pigments and dyes, the names become more manageable but are still formidable, often combining a complex chemical name with the color it produces. * The Name: Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane Yellow * Character Count (excluding spaces): 37 characters * The Color Connection: This name is a combination of the infamous insecticide Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (better known as DDT) and the resulting color of a specific derivative or preparation. The chemical name itself (31 letters) is a classic example of a long, single-word compound. * LSI Entity: The pigment is an example of how organic compounds, even notorious ones, can be used to create specific hues, showcasing the intersection of chemistry and color science.

3. The Standardized Descriptive Champion: The ISCC-NBS Naming System (35 Characters)

For a standardized, descriptive color name that is not a chemical formula, the Inter-Society Color Council–National Bureau of Standards (ISCC–NBS) system provides the longest approved terms. This system uses a set of simple adjectives and color terms to describe any point in the color space. * The Name: Light Brilliant Reddish Cinnamon Brown * Character Count (excluding spaces): 35 characters * The System: The ISCC–NBS system was established in 1955 to create a uniform method for naming colors, listing approximately 7,500 approved names. The names combine up to three descriptive terms (like 'Light', 'Brilliant', 'Reddish') with a main color name ('Cinnamon Brown'). * LSI Entity: This system is critical for color scientists and historians, providing a bridge between subjective color perception and objective color measurement, often utilizing the Munsell Sheets of Color as a reference.

4. The Luxury Paint and Crayon Contenders: The Marketing Champions (Up to 40+ Characters)

In the consumer world of art supplies and luxury automotive paints, manufacturers use evocative, lengthy names to distinguish their products. These often include descriptive adjectives, pigment types, and finishes.

The Luxury Paint Winner: Quinacridone Burnt Orange Spice Metallic

* The Name: Quinacridone Burnt Orange Spice Metallic * Character Count (excluding spaces): 40 characters (Quinacridone: 13, Burnt: 5, Orange: 6, Spice: 5, Metallic: 8. Total: 37. With spaces: 40). * The Pigment: The term Quinacridone refers to a high-performance organic pigment known for its exceptional lightfastness and transparency, making it popular in artist paints and automotive finishes. The addition of "Burnt Orange," "Spice," and "Metallic" creates a highly specific, lengthy name.

The Crayola Champion: University of Pennsylvania Red

* The Name: University of Pennsylvania Red * Character Count (excluding spaces): 30 characters * The Context: This is one of the longest names in the history of Crayola crayons. Other long Crayola favorites include: * Purple Mountains' Majesty (27 characters). * Permanent Geranium Lake (23 characters). * Light Goldenrod Yellow (22 characters). * LSI Entity: Crayola, founded by Binney & Smith in 1903, has introduced over 200 colors, many of which were named by children, contributing to the diverse and sometimes lengthy lexicon of color.

The Role of Pigment Names and Art History in Color Length

Why are some color names so long, while others, like 'Red' or 'Blue', are monosyllabic? The length often correlates directly with the specificity and the underlying chemical structure of the pigment.

The Complexity of Pigment Nomenclature

The longest common color names are frequently tied to modern, synthetic organic pigments. Unlike historical colors like Ultramarine (which means "beyond the sea") or Prussian Blue, which were named for their origin or discovery, modern pigments are named for their chemical structure to ensure accuracy. * Phthalocyanine Green: A long name (17 characters) representing a highly stable pigment used in many modern paints. * Quinacridone Magenta: Another common, long pigment name (20 characters) known for its vibrant, clean color. This practice ensures that a painter in Tokyo using Quinacridone Burnt Orange is working with the exact same chemical compound (often identified by a Color Index number like PO48) as a painter in London, regardless of the brand name.

The Influence of Art and Marketing

Some of the most famous long color names are not chemical but artistic. International Klein Blue (IKB), a 24-character name, is a classic example. This vivid ultramarine shade was patented by the French artist Yves Klein in 1960. The name is long not because of its chemistry, but because it is a descriptive trademark tied to a specific artist and his philosophical concept of pure color. The modern trend of using long, evocative names is purely a marketing strategy. Names like Light Brilliant Reddish Cinnamon Brown and Quinacridone Burnt Orange Spice Metallic are designed to sell an experience, not just a hue. They appeal to the consumer's desire for a highly customized, unique shade that seems to exist nowhere else on the spectrum, creating an emotional connection that a simple hex code like #A50021 (University of Pennsylvania Red) simply cannot. Ultimately, while the protein Titin holds the record for the sheer number of letters, the most practical and recognizable "longest color name" is a tie between the standardized Light Brilliant Reddish Cinnamon Brown and the descriptive Quinacridone Burnt Orange Spice Metallic, proving that in the world of color, sometimes more words truly are better.