As an example of an EC element in which vertical color separation is suppressed, the present disclosure provides an EC element including a pair of electrodes, a solvent, an anodic EC compound, and a cathodic EC compound. In the EC element, the difference between a solvation free energy of an oxidized form of the anodic EC compound in water and a solvation free energy of the oxidized form in octanol is 35 kcal/mol or more, and the cathodic EC compound has a substituent containing any one element selected from halogens, sulfur, boron, phosphorus, and silicon.