---
layout: docs
title: Colors
description: Convey meaning through `color` with a handful of color utility classes. Includes support for styling links with hover states, too.
group: utilities
toc: true
---

## Colors

Colorize text with color utilities. If you want to colorize links, you can use the [`.link-*` helper classes]({{< docsref "/helpers/colored-links" >}}) which have `:hover` and `:focus` states.

{{< example >}}
{{< colors.inline >}}
{{- range (index $.Site.Data "theme-colors") }}
<p class="text-{{ .name }}{{ with .contrast_color }} bg-{{ . }}{{ end }}">.text-{{ .name }}</p>
{{- end -}}
{{< /colors.inline >}}
<p class="text-body">.text-body</p>
<p class="text-muted">.text-muted</p>
<p class="text-white bg-dark">.text-white</p>
<p class="text-black-50">.text-black-50</p>
<p class="text-white-50 bg-dark">.text-white-50</p>
{{< /example >}}

{{< callout info >}}
{{< partial "callout-warning-color-assistive-technologies.md" >}}
{{< /callout >}}

## Specificity

Sometimes contextual classes cannot be applied due to the specificity of another selector. In some cases, a sufficient workaround is to wrap your element's content in a `<div>` or more semantic element with the desired class.

## Sass

In addition to the following Sass functionality, consider reading about our included [CSS custom properties]({{< docsref "/customize/css-variables" >}}) (aka CSS variables) for colors and more.

### Variables

Most `color` utilities are generated by our theme colors, reassigned from our generic color palette variables.

{{< scss-docs name="color-variables" file="scss/_variables.scss" >}}

{{< scss-docs name="theme-color-variables" file="scss/_variables.scss" >}}

Grayscale colors are also available, but only a subset are used to generate any utilities.

{{< scss-docs name="gray-color-variables" file="scss/_variables.scss" >}}

### Map

Theme colors are then put into a Sass map so we can loop over them to generate our utilities, component modifiers, and more.

{{< scss-docs name="theme-colors-map" file="scss/_variables.scss" >}}

Grayscale colors are also available as a Sass map. **This map is not used to generate any utilities.**

{{< scss-docs name="gray-colors-map" file="scss/_variables.scss" >}}

### Utilities API

Color utilities are declared in our utilities API in `scss/_utilities.scss`. [Learn how to use the utilities API.]({{< docsref "/utilities/api#using-the-api" >}})

{{< scss-docs name="utils-color" file="scss/_utilities.scss" >}}