Morado vs. púrpura vs. violeta

The Spanish language, like many others, has multiple words to describe the color purple. The three most commonly used are 'morado', 'púrpura', and 'violeta'. While similar, they each have a slightly different connotation and usage.

Morado

'Morado' is a commonly-used word for the color purple in Spanish. It is often used to describe objects that are of a deep, dark purple hue.
El cielo está morado, parece que va a llover.
(The sky is purple, it looks like it's going to rain.)
La uvas son de color morado.
(The grapes are purple-colored.)
Ella llevaba una bufanda morada.
(She was wearing a purple scarf.)

Púrpura

'Púrpura' is often used to denote a rich, royal type of purple, reminiscent of imperial robes. It can serve the same purpose as 'morado', but is less commonly used in everyday speech.
El manto del rey era púrpura.
(The king's cloak was purple.)
La sangre puede ser de un color púrpura oscuro.
(Blood can be dark purplish in color.)
Las flores púrpuras lucían majestuosas.
(The purplish flowers looked majestic.)

Violeta

'Violeta' usually denotes a lighter, somewhat more vibrant shade compared to 'morado'. Very often it's lavanda in English.
Mi camisa favorita es violeta.
(My favorite shirt is violet.)
Las lilas son de un intenso color violeta.
(Lilacs are an intense violet color.)

Summary

'Morado', 'púrpura', and 'violeta' can all be translated into English as 'purple', but they vary slightly in usage and connotation. 'Morado' refers to a generic dark purple colour, 'púrpura' often refers to a royal type of purple and 'violeta' refers to a light or sometimes vibrant shade of purple.