We always watch the sky, clouds, and rainbows in the rainy season. All of us enjoy seeing rainbows in the sky, no matter what age we are. We see a colour spectrum in the sky that we call a rainbow. Here is a list of rainbow colours that are visible to human eyes.
List of rainbow colour names
Here is a list of the seven colours of a rainbow.
Red |
Orange |
Yellow |
Green |
Blue |
Indigo |
Violet |
How to remember the colours of rainbows
There is an easy way to remember them. We call it a mnemonic. In this, the first word of each word is taken to create a new word. And the mnemonic for the rainbow colours is ROY G BIV. In this mnemonic, R stands for red, O for orange, Y for yellow, G for green, B for blue, I for indigo, and V for violet.
These seven colours in rainbows are visible to human eyes.
How does a rainbow form?
We always see the rainbow in the sky in the rainy season. Rainbows are the most beautiful and fascinating naturally occurring phenomenon. In the rainy season, when sunlight enters raindrops present in the air, there is a reflection, refraction, and dispersion of the sunlight. It results in the appearance of a spectrum of light in the sky. It is in the form of a circular arc with 7 colours in the sky.
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More about the rainbow colours
Here, you will see more information about the colours of rainbows.
Colour | Description | Wavelength Range (nm) |
Red | This is a primary colour. Red is the uppermost colour of the rainbow. It has the longest wavelength. | 620 -750 |
Orange | Orange is the second uppermost colour, below red in rainbows. This combination of yellow and red is the first secondary colour in the spectrum. | 590 – 620 |
Yellow | Yellow is the third uppermost colour of a rainbow. This is a second primary colour. | 570 – 590 |
Green | Green is the fourth uppermost colour of a rainbow. This colour appears in the middle of the spectrum. This is a combination of blue and yellow. | 495 – 570 |
Blue | Blue is the third bottom colour of a rainbow. It is the third primary colour in the rainbow. | 450 – 495 |
Indigo | Indigo is the second bottom colour of a rainbow. It is a combination of purple and blue, a tertiary colour. | 425 – 450 |
Violet | Violet is the lowermost colour in the rainbow. It is a combination of red and blue. Violet has the shortest wavelength. | 380 – 450 |
Frequently asked questions about rainbow colours
Why are there 7 colours in the rainbow?
There are multiple mixed and overlapped individual colours in the rainbow. But the human eye can only see seven colours in the rainbow.
Who discovered 7 colours?
English mathematician and physicist Isaac Newton discovered seven visible colours in clear white light around 1665.
What is the short form of 7 colours?
We can call the rainbow’s seven colours, in short as-,
- Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain
- ROY G BIV, or
- VIBGYOR
What is the full form of Vibgyor?
VIBGYOR is the mnemonic for violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red, respectively. These are the visible colours in the light spectrum. This mnemonic is commonly used to remember the colours in the light spectrum.
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