In soils of sandy, coarse loamy, fine loamy, fine silty, and fine particle‐size families, we observed some general relationship between water table depths and soil color pattern. Horizons that have dominantly gray (chroma ≤ 2) color in the matrix or argillans are saturated much of the year. Horizons that have gray mottles, but are dominantly brown, are saturated a few months of the year if they are above the dominantly gray horizons, or are saturated most of the time if these horizons are below the dominantly gray horizon. Horizons that have dominant chroma of three in the matrix, mottles, or argillans are often saturated. Those that have dominant chroma of five or six and have no mottles with chroma of three or less are seldom or never saturated. This study shows that soils with three‐chroma matrix, mottles or argillans are much wetter than they had been thought to be and are wetter than reflected in Soil Taxonomy definitions.