Rainbow Colour Names - Explore the List of Rainbow Colour Names in English

As kids, all of us have enjoyed watching the sky, clouds, rain, rainbows and collecting hailstones. Watching an aeroplane pass or spotting a rainbow after a shower are the things that amuse us, no matter how old we are, right? Here is a chance for you to learn the names of the colours you see in a rainbow. Check out the article to learn more about rainbows and how they are formed.

Table of Contents

Rainbow Colours Names

List of Rainbow Colour Names

Violet
Indigo
Blue
Green
Yellow
Orange
Red

Explore More about Rainbow Colours

Name of the Colour About It
Violet The first colour of the rainbow is violet. This colour is formed by the mixing of the blue and the red colours. The wavelength of this colour is 495-570 nm.
Indigo The second colour of the rainbow is indigo. This colour is formed by the mixing of the blue and the violet colours. The wavelength of this colour is around 440 nm.
Blue The blue colour is the third colour, and it comes from shorter wavelengths of light that get scattered by water droplets or other solid particles. The blue colour has electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength of 495-570 nm.
Green The fourth colour of the rainbow is green. The green colour is a mixture of blue and yellow colours. The wavelength of this colour is around 550 nm.
Yellow The fifth colour of the rainbow is yellow. The yellow colour is a mixture of red and green colours. The wavelength of this colour is around 565 nm.
Orange The sixth colour of the rainbow is orange. The orange colour is a mixture of red and yellow colours. The wavelength of this colour is around 585 nm.
Red The seventh colour of the rainbow is red. The red colour is an important primary colour and has the longest wavelength. The wavelength of this colour is 620-750 nm.

How Do Rainbows Occur?

Don’t we all love watching rainbows after a heavy shower? Have you ever wondered how rainbows are formed? A rainbow is a phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky. For example, if you take a prism and white paper and pass a ray of light through the prism, you’ll notice that a band of seven colours/a rainbow formed on the surface of the white paper. So, when a rainbow is formed, the sky acts like a white paper or canvas, and the water droplets present in the atmosphere act as the prism through which the sunlight passes and forms a rainbow arch.

Frequently Asked Questions on the Names of Rainbow Colours

Q1

What are the colours of the rainbow?

The easiest way to remember the rainbow colours is by the term ‘VIBGYOR’, which stands for violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange and red.

Q2

How many colours are there in a rainbow?

There are seven colours in a rainbow.