Short answer: The color next to your similarity score is a quick signal of how much of your text matched other sources. Blue is no match, green is 1 to 24 percent, yellow is 25 to 49, orange is 50 to 74, and red is 75 to 100. A brighter, warmer color means a higher percentage, not automatic plagiarism.
| Color | Similarity | What it usually signals |
| Blue | No matching text | Nothing matched. Worth a quick check in case text could not be read. |
| Green | 1 to 24 percent | The most common band. Usually low and unremarkable. |
| Yellow | 25 to 49 percent | Moderate. Open the report and check what is matching. |
| Orange | 50 to 74 percent | High. Review the sources closely. |
| Red | 75 to 100 percent | Very high. Needs attention, though cited quotes can still inflate it. |
What each color means in practice
Blue: no matching text
Nothing in your work matched a source. This is usually good, but it is worth a look. Sometimes it means the file could not be read properly, for example a scanned image or an odd format.
Green: 1 to 24 percent
The band most papers fall into. A bit of matching is normal, since quotes, references and common phrases all count. Green rarely raises questions on its own.
Yellow: 25 to 49 percent
Moderate matching. Not a problem by default, but worth opening the report. Check whether it is spread across many small sources or concentrated in one place.
Orange: 50 to 74 percent
A large share of your text matched something. Go through the breakdown. If it is quotes and references, it may still be fine. If it is unoriginal paragraphs, that is the part to rework.
Red: 75 to 100 percent
Most of the document matched other sources. This needs a close look. It can still be driven by heavy quoting or a long reference list, so read the report rather than assuming the worst.
