Pale yellow — the colour of dry straw, which is what wheat or rice stalks look like after they dry out in the sun. It is a soft, light yellow with a little brown or gold in it, never a bright or strong yellow. You will meet this word most often when someone is describing the colour of a liquid: beer, white wine, cooking oil, or urine in a doctor's report. Doctors use it a lot, because "straw-coloured" tells you the exact shade in one word and sounds neutral rather than unpleasant. It is also used for hair — straw-coloured hair is pale blonde, and depending on the sentence around it, that can be a compliment or can hint that the hair looks dry. Note the spelling: British writers use "straw-coloured", American writers use "straw-colored". Same word. It is a describing word, so it comes before a noun or after "is": "a straw-coloured liquid", "the wine is straw-coloured". This is a written, careful word more than an everyday spoken one — in normal conversation people just say "light yellow" or "pale yellow".