colored and coloured are homophones: they are pronounced identically and spelled differently, which is why they are so often swapped. colored means “having color or a certain color; sometimes used in combination”. coloured means “having color or a certain color; sometimes used in combination”.
/ˈkʌlɚd/
1.adj.having color or a certain color; sometimes used in combination
“colored crepe paper”
2.adj.having skin rich in melanin pigments;
3.adj.favoring one person or side over another
“a biased account of the trial”
| colored | coloured | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈkʌlɚd/ | /ˈkʌlɚd/ |
| Said | KUHL-urd | KUHL-urd |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Letters | 7 | 8 |
| Parts of speech | adjective | adjective |
| Senses | 4 | 4 |
| How common | Familiar | Familiar |
| Synonyms | coloured, colorful | colored, colorful |
Full entry for colored · Full entry for coloured · More comparisons
/ˈkʌlɚd/
1.adj.having color or a certain color; sometimes used in combination
“colored crepe paper”
2.adj.favoring one person or side over another
“a biased account of the trial”
3.adj.(used of color) artificially produced; not natural
“a bleached blonde”